The Goods

2002-05-07T22:50:00.000-05:00

OK OK, so it's been a really long time since I last posted. I have no big excuses. That's just the way it is. Honestly speaking, I have been thinking about letting the ol' Goods die out once again. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy weblogs, and I have enjoyed doing stuff on here as well. BUT, I'm just not the greatest at being consistent with posting. SO, what do you people think? Rest in peace, or break out the shockers and yell "clear," any comments?

2002-04-27T12:21:00.000-05:00

Good live music has been flowing freely in my life this month, which makes me very happy of course! This past Tuesday I saw Leftover Salmon for the second time, and the show was amazing! Since the last time I saw them, they've picked up a new drummer and keyboardist, both of whom totally add to the high energy sound they already possessed. What can I say, "polyethnic cajun slamgrass" is tough to beat! Tonight, I'm going to see the fellas in Rewake play Cain's Ballroom, which should be very sweet. Once again, if you live in or near Tulsa and have not seen this band live, you're seriously missing out. Each member of the band is extremely talented, and they're all really good, solid guys that obviously enjoy making music together, which shows in the amount of collective energy they possess on stage, always making for a great live show. Oh how I love good live music!

2002-04-19T15:29:00.000-05:00

I went out this afternoon and practiced some ultimate frisbee with my friend Jeff. I love tossing the frisbee around, and I enjoy ultimate as well, although it's definitely something that takes practice and training because it can definitely wear you out! For whatever reason, after playing today I was curious about the history of this fine sport. If you are as well, check out this website for more info.

2002-04-17T13:16:00.000-05:00

Sometimes random things suck while at other times they're quite entertaining and amusing. This particular site definitely falls into the later category! Check it out!

2002-04-15T22:03:00.000-05:00

Don't get me wrong, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at the University of Tulsa, BUT when it comes to the musicians they get to come play on campus, it's pretty much a joke! Awhile back they started this new tradition called "SpringFest," and this year the featured artist is freakin Ja Rule! (Actually, he's probably finishing up his performance right now at the Reynolds Center.) Rap is not one of my favorite musical genres, but I'm not opposed to it by any means. But Ja Rule, come on! If they were going to go the route of rap or hip hop, why couldn't they have brought in someone like The Roots or someone classic like Run DMC or Biz Markie? It baffles me sometimes when I consider what music is considered popular. Then again, I guess I can't say much because a lot of what I listen to would probably be considered beyond strange by most folks. I guess I'll shut up now.

2002-04-14T19:21:00.000-05:00

This afternoon I attended an informational meeting for the Colorado trip I'm leading this summer for the youth group at my church, and as a result of the meeting, I'm looking forward to summer even more! I'll be taking a group of high schoolers to Noah's Ark in Buena Vista, Colorado for a day of rock climbing and repelling, a day of whitewater rafting on the Arkansas River, and three days of backpacking. It goes without saying that I am incredibly stoked about this trip! God bless Colorado!

2002-04-12T22:30:00.000-05:00

I must admit that I am a fan of IMAX movies, not only because the screen is incredibly large but also because of the phenomenal sound. Tonight I saw Galapagos, which is a 3-D IMAX movie dealing with the life on and off the coasts of the Galapagos Islands near Ecuador. The wildlife shown in the movie was amazing, especially when the head marine biologist took a deep-sea submersible all the way down to 3,000 feet! If you're into IMAX movies and can stomach paying the big bucks for admission, check this one out if it's in your town!

2002-04-11T14:20:00.000-05:00

For those of you that are somewhat frequent in checking my weblog and super observant on top of that, you may have noticed that I added a few links on the sidebar.

The National Resources Defense Council is exactly what its name implies: a large non-profit organization that fights legal battles for Mother Nature here in the states and across the world. I've been a member of NRDC since 1998. I think they do a fairly decent job disseminating information about the different environmental issues currently of importance.

World News is also exactly what its name implies: a website that provides countless different stories telling of the latest happenings in the world. My dear friend Nader was actually the first person to school to this website.

For those of you that have never listened to your local National Public Radio, you should check it out sometime. If you don't know the closest NPR affiliate to your city, check out their website for station listings.

2002-04-10T00:26:00.000-05:00

It is now officially April 10, my brother's almighty 21st birthday. Happy Birthday Trav!!! Feel free to leave your well wishes on the comment section of this post or drop him a line here. Long live the big tree that is Travis Jay Myers!

2002-04-10T00:19:00.000-05:00

Tonight was the big String Cheese Incident concert that I had been highly anticipating for quite some time now. This was the third time for me to see them live, and once again I left the show thoroughly impressed! I definitely enjoy their particular sound and style, but even if you're not really into that particular scene, the energy on and off stage at their shows is incredible! This show was especially cool because it was the first time my brother Travis, Nader, and my core group guys from church had seen String Cheese live. They too dug the show, which was no big surprise at all of course! Anyways, if they come near your town sometime and you can cover the cost of the ticket, I definitely recommend checking them out!

2002-04-03T13:37:00.000-06:00

My apologies for the lack of posting lately. Things have been super busy with school lately, and since there's roughly 4 weeks left until finals, this will more than likely continue on for awhile. (Side note to all: In case you didn't already know, procrastination can be a seriously nasty bastard!)

Speaking of school, I found this killer essay by a 12-year-old in Maine that was written for her 6th grade English class. I thought it was pretty impressive for someone that's barely in middle school. It's really short so take the time to check it out. I guarantee that this will make all of my "progressive" friends out there very proud and happy!

2002-03-31T14:37:00.000-06:00

I am beyond disappointed by the results of last night's Final Four games. I was completely confident that it would be OU and Kansas in the final game, not only because that's what I personally wanted to see, but more importantly, I thought those two teams were playing the toughest basketball going into last night. What the heck man! I really did think this was going to be the year for Kansas. Although the boys will be losing some crucial seniors, they got some incredible playing this season out of their three super freshman, Miles, Simien, and Langford, who I believe will completely dominate college basketball in a year or two. Anyways, although I was wrong in my predictions, I am definitely thinking that Maryland is going to take it all, no question about it. They just strike me as a better all-around team, and Juan Dixon is amazing. Down with the Hoosiers!

2002-03-27T14:17:00.000-06:00

Well me compadres, I don't know about you, but it sure does make me happy when the folks out in D.C. show that they are capable of periodically making some good decisions. That's right, President Bush signed the campaign finance overhaul bill into law this morning. Of course, there are some people that remain pissed about the whole notion of reform regarding campaign finance, and after the bill was signed, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, filed a suit in a U.S. district court. Here's a brief telling of what went down this morning.

I hope this news contributes to your happiness today Scott. As Scott has mentioned in the past, he believes that true positive progress for our country cannot happen until some sort of solid campaign finance reform takes place. Until that time, the high-ups of society will continue to dominate and control D.C.. I tend to agree for the most part with Scott's thinking here. SO, campaign finance reform is something that should benefit our country as a whole. Yahoo for the U S of A!

2002-03-26T17:48:00.000-06:00

Some big time news for my dear friend Jeff and his band Rewake. After playing South by Southwest down in Austin a week or two ago, they were contacted by people at Warner Brothers Music today. Basically, they are going to bring in a bunch of their people to check out Rewake and a couple other area bands in the beginning of June, and more than likely, at least one of the bands will possibly walk away with a sweet record deal. This is HUGE for the whole band, and like I told Jeff this afternoon, those record executives would be foolish not to pick up Rewake! The more I listen to new music, both local and national bands, it seems as though a lot of the stuff sounds the same. In my opinion, the guys in Rewake are making some really good original music, and surely there's got to be some people out there still that enjoy something a little different, as opposed to something that either sounds like Creed or Limp Bizkit. I am extremely happy for the guys, and I really do hope everything works out for them!

2002-03-24T16:39:00.000-06:00

God bless the University of Kansas basketball team! Those guys totally rocked Oregon on rebounds today, and that basically was the key factor in their victory today. I am extremely happy for several reasons. One, I love KU basketball and have for quite some time. Second, I love Roy Williams. He is an amazing coach, and it's just really cool to see his team doing so well finally this late in the tournament. Now it's on to the Final 4 and then the National Championship. This is the Jayhawks year my friends, it's only a matter of time!

2002-03-21T14:49:00.000-06:00

Well my friends, I am currently in a minor state of shock after visiting Pollstar and not seeing Bela Fleck and the Flecktones as part of the line-up for the Blues Festival that'll be in Tulsa the first weekend of May. I have no idea what the story is, other than the fact that they were scheduled to play Friday May 3, and it now looks like they'll be in New Orleans at the Orpheum on that day instead. I've seen these guys before, and they're easily one of my favorite bands. This is not good news!!!

2002-03-20T17:38:00.000-06:00

I'm sure a lot of you out there don't automatically assume that someone with a Ph.D. is a guaranteed wizard when it comes to basic information and knowledge in life. Then again, there's some folks that see those letters after a name and assume the position of bowing down and kissing ass. Well, this cat at Cornell University has written something that only solidifies the idea that many years of higher education need not always equate to someone being truly educated. (Note to Scott: his primary area of study is economics, not a good representative for your people bro!) Check out this essay he wrote on what he believes women's studies and feminist thought has created across the nation. To get you hooked, the title of the piece is "College Girls: Unpaid Whores." It is a little lengthy, but at least take the time to skim through it. It doesn't take much to pick up on the incredbile level of stupidity, ignorance, and offensiveness that is present in this writing. I took a couple of classes in undergrad that dealt with women's studies and gender issues, and this dude is way off! Then again, I suppose you don't really need those classes to gather that much. Some people truly do frighten me at times when it comes to what they believe.

2002-03-19T21:16:00.000-06:00

Fox is really good at putting some extremely lame and pathetic shows on the air. Believe me, I realize that this is not some grand new thought. Nonetheless, I just watched the first episode of "Andy Richter Controls the Universe," and it was freakin hillarious! I don't really watch that much TV, but I may actually start watching this show on a regular basis when my schedule permits. It's really different in some ways, which is nice, and they periodically splice in some really good music that is totally appropriate for the scene, yet another aspect of shows that I'm quite fond of. Anyways, if you dug Andy on Conan, you should do yourself a favor and check this show out sometime. (I believe it's regular day and time is Tuesday evenings at 7:30 pm, but I'm not positive.)

2002-03-19T15:43:00.000-06:00

I found this site via Metafilter that lets you enter in your zip code to see what "lifestyle clusters" you're supposedly a part of according to the location of your residence. Basically, this information is used by marketing folks to see what sort of crap they can try to peddle to you and your neighbors through the mail. Just for kicks, check it out.

2002-03-19T15:31:00.000-06:00

Much thanks and props to my dear friend Sean for taking care of those mysterious question marks that had previously appeared throughout my weblog. Between Sean and Scott, it's like I've got free technical service when it comes to correcting weblog technicalities. It's great!

2002-03-19T00:10:00.000-06:00

Scott has a killer post over the Pogo about the recent discussions that are coming up more and more in the news about our government's talk of possibly looking at the usage of nuclear weapons to "deal" with the bad boys overseas. What's up with all this crazy talk? Crazy people like Bin Laden do illogical, irrational, and straight-up wrong stuff, and we feel like the way to battle and conquer them is by matching such actions. I'm no big political or war scholar, but this stuff just doesn't make sense to me. Anyways, go check out what Scott has to say about this issue. (He's got some really great links on the topic as well.)

2002-03-16T22:54:00.000-06:00

Tonight was the big Natalie Merchant show at the Brady Theatre, and it was definitely worth the hefty ticket price! She is easily my favorite female voice, and that position was only solidified after her near 2 hour performance tonight. Natalie performed a good chunk of the songs off of her new album "Motherland," and then she did some classics from both her solo career and the days of 10,000 Maniacs. Sean ended up going with me to the show, and as we discussed, her newest album has a definite blues/folk sound to it, which is very nice! Her voice carries such an amazing degree of emotional power, and in my opinion, that combined with her amazing spirit and all-around "being" makes her totally attractive. On a side note, I'm not positive, but I think the people that sat next to Sean and I had sex or at least came dang close. Not cool at all my friends! Anyways, if Natalie Merchant ever comes to town again, I'll check her out once again, and I would definitely suggest you do the same if you get the chance!

2002-03-15T15:47:00.000-06:00

I'm back in Tulsa after an amazing trip to southeastern Utah with Travis. The sights we saw on our 30 total miles of hiking, scrambling, and bouldering were unlike anything I had ever seen before! Quite possibly the only negative about the entire trip was my little spin-out on Highway 666 outside of Cortez, Colorado on the way back. (How freakin ironic is it that I had a wreck on a highway named "666?!") It had been snowing for a little while, and I hit an icy patch on the road that sent us into a 180-degree spin that left us off the road, luckily with all four wheels still on the ground. It definitely sucked, but it could have been a lot worse! Anyways, I'll probably go into further detail on the sights I saw and the thoughts they created at a later time. Until then, I must enjoy the final 3 days of spring break!

2002-03-08T21:33:00.000-06:00

Well, I'll be leaving for Utah in roughly 7 hours, 4:00 in the freakin morning to be precise, so there won't be anything new on The Goods for almost a week. Scott may not be posting for a little while either, due to him moving to Dallas this weekend, BUT I'm sure my man Sean will have some fresh stuff up and running on Interact so be sure to check him out this week!

2002-03-08T21:22:00.000-06:00

My good friend Jeff Porter is leaving Tuesday with his band Rewake for Austin, Texas to play at the big South by Southwest music festival. If you're really into music, you probably know that a band being invited to play at SXSW is a really big honor and has the potential to be a stepping stone for many nationally unknown acts. Although my opinion may be somewhat biased, I think that Rewake is the best locally-based live band in Tulsa. All of the guys are extremely talented when it comes to their respective instruments, and Malen, the band's lead singer and rhythm guitarist, has a voice that exhibits some serious emotion, which is always good. Jeff is an incredibly amazing percussionist who has studied in some really cool areas, such as Cuba and Nevada City, CA, and while in Nevada City this past December, one of his drumming friends described Rewake's sound as "high-energy reggae funk." That's a fairly good description, but there's still more depth to them than just that. OK, that's enough bragging on Rewake for now. Do yourself a favor, and check them out sometime!

2002-03-07T21:00:00.000-06:00

In my humble opinion, if you truly believe that you're not weird in some form or fashion, that makes you weirder than most. I accept the fact that I'm weird, and I'm fine with that. This is a notion that I've thought about off and on for quite some time now and just wanted to throw it out there. It's nothing too terribly profound, but I definitely think such a statement is right on. Then again, by thinking something like this maybe I'm automatically bumped up a few levels on the weirdness factor. Bueno for me!

2002-03-07T20:41:00.000-06:00

I am now officially on spring break, WOO HOO for me! My brother Travis and I are leaving early Saturday morning for southeastern Utah to do some hiking and biking in Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park, both of which are near Moab, and yes, I am incredibly pumped! Four days in the mountains sound incredible right now, especially after this past week of being totally consumed by a research paper on dialectical behavior therapy for borderline personality disorder. Not that the research wasn't interesting, it just isn't good for my constitution to spend entire days researching and writing for class. The price one pays for procrastination!

2002-03-07T20:28:00.000-06:00

Thanks to my dear friend Scott, The Goods is now experiencing its second attempt at rebirth. During a very hectic week of preparing for his forthcoming move to hell, I mean Dallas, Scott has graciously worked on hooking me up with a new commenting system, as well as a new template. Unless I'm totally reaching for an excuse that sounds remotely decent, the previous effort made to revitalize this mother failed due to its lacking of a stable comment system. I don't work on this thing solely to receive comments of some sort, but it definitely makes the venture much more enjoyable. Now I will say that I'm still a busy graduate student so posts may continue to be somewhat sporadic, but hopefully it will not be at the level it was before. (In case you missed it, I was doing good there for awhile if I made a post a month. Very weak I know!)

To my knowledge, a fair amount of you that will be reading this also visit The Pogo and the good reverend's Interact. You will more than likely notice that this weblog will typically vary quite a bit from those two enriching blogs. I'm not saying that The Goods will be a weak weblog, but it will most likely have a different feel to it. All this having been said, bear with me for awhile until things get back in order, and please, feel free to let me know your thoughts on anything and everything. Shalom my friends!

2001-12-25T20:40:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas everyone! It didn't really seem like it was the Christmas season until doing the whole family thing today, and that definitely did the trick. Both Blogger and myself have been a little slow lately so I'm hoping that the coming of the new year will change that. 2002, how crazy is that?!?!

2001-12-23T16:06:00.000-06:00

For those all-important few that read my weblog, pardon the craziness. I am in the process of trying to add a commenting system to my weblog so I can receive your comments on my posts. Scott uses BlogBack on Archipelapogo, but BlogBack is no longer accepting new users. At one time I was a user of BlogBack, but I slacked off when it came time to reinstall the new code. You snooze you lose I guess.

2001-12-19T17:35:00.000-06:00

Well, today was the big release day of the highly anticipated movie Fellowship of the Ring. I had intended on going with some of my good friends to see it today, but I failed in completing the book in time so I am choosing to wait. My friend Sean is easily the most studied Tolkien fan I know, and he highly recommends experiencing the orignal before seeing the movie so that's what I am doing. I am close to half-way done with it, and thus far, I can understand why so many people love this book. It is so incredibly rich in symbolism, not to mention the fact that it is just a really interesting and exciting story! If you haven't read the book yet, take time to do so before going to the theater for the movie.

2001-12-14T17:39:00.000-06:00

Christmas time is the goods for countless reasons, BUT as a result of my education, maturity, and all-around personal growth, it also evokes certain thoughts and feelings in me that aren't that kind. Here's the deal, for a good majority of folks in the good old U S of A, Christmas is nothing more than time off from school and work and then the all-important giving and receiving of gifts which in most cases are totally pointless and unnecesary.

At this point, some of you may be saying to yourself, "what the heck is this, bah-humbug at its finest?" Of course it's not! I will be the first to admit that I totally relish in the month I have away from classes, and I also enjoy giving and receiving gifts. BUT, there's much more to this time of year than these surface events. We're talking about the birth of an individual that was both God and man, not to mention the fact that He ultimately gave his own life for a bunch of people that cursed Him, spit at Him, and lastly put Him to death in the most horrific way imagineable.

OK, so I'm reading this so far, and I'm totally seeing how I could be taken as some wacko conservative Christian fundamentalist. You know, down with fun and be like me, stuff like that. Truth be told, I am ANYTHING but that! My point in all of this is that I believe this holiday season should be handled in a very basic and simple manner. Love everyone! Spend quality time with your family and friends. Show them via your actions and words how you feel about them. You don't need to spend a bunch of money to accomplish this task, but for some of us, this whole process may be a very foreign concept. The bonus in all of this is that it can only bring about positives for you and the people in your life.

2001-12-12T20:22:00.000-06:00

My posts very rarely mimic those found on the other weblogs that I read, but this is cause for an exception. Sometimes those online tests are weak, but Sean posted an 80's music one on Interact so I couldn't resist.

The Eighties Pop Act Test deems me:

60% Eighties Pop Act

You are Ton Loc: You were all the rage in the eighties with your baloon pants, and head bands, but now you have moved quietly to your new life, and you don't keep in touch with your friends from that time. Go listen to Janet Jackson CDs.

Unfortunately in this case, I do not own any music by Janet Jackson. Bummer!

2001-12-11T19:20:00.000-06:00

WOO HOO, finals are over! I am definitely pumped about this upcoming month of no class, but tonight's statistic final definitely has me pondering my grade in that class. BUT, praise the Lord for curves!

2001-12-04T10:11:00.000-06:00

My apologizing for lack of posting has almost become the norm hasn't it? Regardless of that, I am sorry to the few of you that still occasionally check my weblog. I'm in the midst of finals season, not to mention the fact that I am currently attempting to reflect and meditate on certain things in life in a way I never have before. Obviously with this being finals time, sitting solo in search of peace and quiet to do my thoughts and feelings justice is a tough task, but the truth of the matter is that certain things come up in life in which we can't exactly choose an "opportune" time to assess them. You know what, I probably couldn't be any more vague if I tried so I think I'll just stop here. Shalom!

2001-11-19T16:07:00.000-06:00

For those of you that weren't at Steamroller Blues on Saturday night, you freakin missed out! Rewake had their CD release party, and the show was amazing! My friend Jeff Porter plays percussion in the band, and he truly is an incredibly gifted musician. The first set was basically the band going through all of the songs on their new album, Air Bubbles, which I did purchase and recommend. The second set began with Jeff and several friends from his old percussion group Kindred Spirits and local musical virtuoso James Plumlee jamming out like I have not witnessed in quite some time. This jam continued on while the other members of Rewake joined them on stage one by one. For a good 20 minutes, these talented musicians gave Tulsa an incredible gift! If you haven't seen Rewake or James Plumlee play, you're missing out and need to find one of their shows sometime!

2001-11-19T15:58:00.000-06:00

ONCE AGAIN, I apologize for the lack of posts! This time, I really have no excuse, other than the fact that I haven't been online much the past week and a half. I do actually have a couple of thoughts I'd like to write about, but I need these two books that are not in my posession at the moment. When they are, I'll be sure to share these thoughts with you. I figure my minimal posting the past couple of weeks is OK, since I'm fairly certain that Scott, Sean, and Travis are the only ones reading this and I see them rather frequently. Nonetheless, give me some time, and then come and check me out. Until then, have an excellent Thanksgiving!

2001-11-11T13:52:00.000-06:00

As you may have noticed, I did change my window title to yet another thing in life that I consider to be the goods: board games. Megan and I played Trivial Pursuit, Catch Phrase, and What Were You Thinking last night with Sean and Christine. In my opinion, board games are the goods largely because they allow you to have fun with family and friends while still being able to interact, unlike watching T.V. or a movie, not that those activities aren't enjoyable at times. The only possible downside to playing games is when you've got some really competititve folks in your circle. When this is the case, watch out because these people tend to fail to realize the "game" aspect of playing board games.

2001-11-11T13:41:00.000-06:00

Once again, it's been awhile since I last posted so I do apologize. This has been quite the good weekend though. Friday, Megan had her annual Chi-O fall formal, which was at the Tulsa Zoo oddly enough. It was fun having it there, although we didn't get to wander around and check out the animals, which in my opinion was kinda lame. Yesterday, Sean and I got in about a 10 mile bike ride on the river trails, which was a much needed activity for me. I have always been somewhat sporadic when it comes to exercising, but I used to be good about getting some form of exercise a couple times a week. Well, that has not been happening since I started grad school, which truly is no excuse. SO, hopefully our trek yesterday will serve as a boost to get me back on track. Man, speaking of lame, what a weak post this is. I've got something better in mind, but I plan on using an essay that is not in my possession right now. Hopefully, that will be enough for you to come back and check it out!

2001-11-05T23:43:00.000-06:00

Am I the only one that thinks that Jack Black is freakin hillarious?! He was just on Letterman, and as always, he was unlike any other guest on the Late Show, being his usual odd self. That guy has certain characteristics that remind me of Adam Sandler and Chris Farley, in addition to being totally unique. I will say that I'm looking forward to seeing Shallow Hal when it comes to the theaters, not only because of Jack Black but also because it's a Farrelly Brothers movie. Good stuff I tell ya!

2001-11-05T22:37:00.000-06:00

Happy late November everyone! OK, so I've been slipping slightly on posts the past couple of days, but please hear me out, I'm still here and serious about the blogage. I may not be worthy of having a permanent link on Archipelapogo, but I'm confident that my day is coming soon. Who knows, maybe all I'm lacking is a post about people with arms coming out of their chests???

2001-10-31T23:45:00.000-06:00

I am going to start something new here on my weblog. Up until this point, the heading or title or whatever it's called at the top of the window has read, "The place to be for peace, positivity, and love." Not that the statement is no longer true, but I've decided to change that up a little bit. Starting now, I will try to share a different something in life that I believe to be the goods. The first one as you may notice is cheese because, well, I really like cheese. In fact, I believe I'm going to go eat some cheese right now. Shalom!

2001-10-31T23:32:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow is the first day of November, what the heck?! You know what though, I have noticed more and more these past couple of years how my commenting on how fast the months go by has increased. Is it actually true what they say in regard to the older you get, the faster time flies? What am I talking about, I sound like a senior citizen or something!

2001-10-31T23:28:00.000-06:00

Sorry about the neglect this week, but like I mentioned earlier, I had the misfortune of having to tackle two extremely difficult exams in my intellectual assessment class. Now that those bad boys are history, I'll be getting back into more of a normal routine.

2001-10-29T21:41:00.000-06:00

I'm sorry, but my day has just been too odd to not post something about it. OK, so I've got this daddy of an exam tomorrow and Wednesday in my intellectual assessment class, and today and tomorrow are my days to totally live intellectual assessment. Today during lunch, I'm going to town on a ghost cookie when a chunk of a filling in my mouth chips off. Not good! But oh yes, it gets better. I had to go to my new doctor today to get a physical since it had been awhile since my last one, and the main negative about that was the time it would take away from my studying. Other than that, I wasn't really sweating the visit. Until the doctor tells me to turn over onto my left side after he's just checked me out below the belt for abnormalites there. The man was about to give me a freaking rectal exam, GOOOOO! Needless to say, I asked him if it was necessary seeing as how I'm only 22, and his reply was that it really wasn't. SO, I opted out like anyone in their right mind would have done. What a day this has been!

2001-10-29T10:39:00.000-06:00

Sorry folks but posts are going to be slim to none these next couple of days due to two beastly exams I have in my intellectual assessment course.

2001-10-27T14:39:00.000-05:00

OU just lost to Nebraska, what a bummer! I must say that I haven't watched much football at all this year, but in my opinion, college football is much more enjoyable than the NFL, especially since the Chiefs are so lame this year! How much more obvious can I be in my procrastination in regard to studying for my intellectual assessment test than with a post about football? What the heck man?!

2001-10-26T14:55:00.000-05:00

For those of you that missed it, the presention made last night at the Masjid Al-Salam mosque here in Tulsa was definitely worth attending. Everyone was very hospitable, and it was really cool to see a good turnout for something like that. For myself, I learned a great deal of information about jihad that I was previously unaware of.

For example, I did not know that the notion of jihad was something that can take form in three different ways: inner, social, and combative. When most people think of jihad, they probably focus only on combative jihad, which, according to Dr. Mujeeb Cheema, is only a last resort. Inner jihad is something that nearly all Muslims should be taking part in on a daily basis; this pertains to a Muslim's inner battle for God's will and peace as opposed to some of the negative ways of the world. Social jihad pertains to jihad on a more social level as opposed to physically fighting via a war, as is the case in combative jihad.

Although the talk focused primarily on Muslims' beliefs in regard to violence and peace, it also gave some general knowledge about other aspects of the Islamic faith. Don't get me wrong, I'm not planning on going out and converting to Islam, BUT I definitely believe that everyone, regardless of what one's beliefs are, should take the time to become educated about the beliefs of others.

Although it may not seem so at times, religion is such a HUGE part of life. True, in today's time where our government is going to town on bombing Afghanistan and people are worrying about the economy, religion may seem non-existant or on pause. Nonetheless, it is alive and well. In my opinion, it has been swept under the rug by those that claim to be some of its biggest proponents: George W. Bush, Osama Bin Ladin, and various other politicians and big businessmen. Now granted, the actions of Bin Ladin and Bush are very different, but at the same time, I believe they're both off track. Hijacking an airplane and crashing it into a building full of innocent people is not Islam. Economic sanctions, fighting in the name of American interest disguised as the good of the world, these actions are not Christianity. Bottom line: we all should look at our own set of beliefs. Where do they come from? Why do we believe them? Lastly, if we do claim to ourselves, our family, our friends, and our God that we believe such beliefs, are we doing our best to follow those beliefs? I totally believe that no matter how serious and commited a person is to a religion, they will ultimately fall short in same way. That's just the way we are as humans. BUT, I definitely believe that we all can and should be doing more to make this world a better and more peaceful place. How should we do this? I'm honestly not sure. But, I do think that if we take the time to examine our particular faith and ourselves, we'll hopefully be heading in the right direction.

2001-10-24T23:26:00.000-05:00

For those of you that live in Tulsa and enjoy learning new things, there's a sweet series that has been going on at Masjid Al-Salam mosque, which is located at 4630 S. Irvington Ave. between Sheridan and Yale. The series is basically a response to the terrorist attacks that occured on September 11 and serve to educate the community on Islam and to explore various Muslim positions on certain issues in life. Unfortunately, there is only one more installment left, that being one focused on the topic of violence and peace in today's world. Fortunately, this presentation and discussion occurs this Thursday, October 25 at 6:50 pm. I'll be there, and for those of you that can't make it, I'll be sure to post some comments.

2001-10-24T22:54:00.000-05:00

Grande props to my man Sean for correcting the errors I commited while installing the whole BlogBack component to the new and improved Goods! Other than the return of having the option of commenting on my actual weblog, why do I say new and improved? Well, as surprising and unbelievable as it may sound, I am actually going to start posting again. Yes folks, it is true! I hope to not only provide interesting thoughts and happenings occuring in my own life but also various other tidbits of information worth pondering. Sean, Scott, and Travis, here ya go fellas! Give me some time to get back into action, and then please feel free to spread the word.

2001-10-18T15:17:00.000-05:00

By the way, who out there absolutely despises statistics??? I've got a statistics midterm this afternoon at 5:00 pm, and let me tell ya, it's not my favorite class that's for dang sure!

2001-10-18T15:13:00.000-05:00

Well, it goes without saying that my weblog has been dead for quite some time now. BUT, I will admit that I am now pondering a possible come back, due largely to BlogBack, which is basically the reincarnation of BlogVoices. The last run of posting I did several months ago just wasn't the same without having the possibility for some easy interaction by the folks that occassionaly read my stuff. What's my point in saying all this? Well, in a way I guess I could be setting up some sort of accountability for me to follow through and start posting once again. But then again, like I already told Scott don't hold your breath!

2001-09-11T15:23:00.000-05:00

It goes without saying that it's been a heck of a long time since I last posted. Part of that is a result of sheer busyness due to class work, and the rest of it is simply forgetfulness or simply slacking off. This day is easily one of the most sureal/odd days I have ever encountered in my life. Granted, certain aspects of today are similar to the OKC bombing, but at the same time, this seems so much more grandious. The visual images I have seen countless times during the past 6 hours are so incredibly "movie-like" and sickening, and still, I am somewhat confused as to what I'm feeling. Bottom line though, I am definitely feeling some serious sadness and disbelief. I feel deeply for those folks that were in NYC, DC, and Pennsylvania this morning. At the same time, I feel for folks like my friend Nader, who's Egyptian, and others that are from the Middle East region of the world. In a sense, it takes stupid people to carry out such actions as the attacks that occured today. Unfortunately, stupidity is known to spark further stupidity and folks like Nader sometimes bear the brunt of that. The fact of the matter is that they still don't know who's responsible for the attacks, even though many people believe some sort of an Islamic fundamentalist group was at the helm. Even if Arabs are responsible, not all Arabs are the same, just as not all Christians are the same. Going further, Nader isn't even an Arab, BUT most people in the US, especially "Middle America," wouldn't know the difference. My point in all of this is two-fold I guess. One, I feel, and in particular mourn, the incredible loss that has occured today. Second, let's not be too hasty in our assumptions as to who's responsible and how we should react to the culprits, whoever they may be. Violence is no good, and I do believe in justice. AT THE SAME TIME, violence need not lead to further violence, ESPECIALLY violence and aggression against those individuals that were in no way involved. So there! That's my story, and I'm sticking to it, for now at least!

2001-08-23T15:31:00.000-05:00

Well, this is my third day of graduate school, and for having "only" 3 classes, my schedule is a beast! Am I enjoying it thus far? I think I am. I mean, I enjoy my professors and classmates. BUT, the workload is definitely going to get the best of me from time to time. The kicker in all of this is that I chose to go this route. Like I've told some of you in the past though, I have finally decided on a professional goal, that being a psychologist, and I am willing to do whatever it takes to reach that goal. Because of this, I am going to be logging some serioius time in academia the next several years. I had orientation yesterday, and one of my buddies who is in his 5th year in the program shared a rather insightful notion: no matter how hard I work, there will always be something for me to work on. The key idea here is that I basically will never be "caught up" in my studies. All I can do is put forth my best effort and continually attempt to grow in my quest to become a scientist-practioner. Yahoo!

2001-08-16T14:14:00.000-05:00

Well, today was my last day of work for the summer. Although I hate to sound too terribly cliche, this summer has just totally flown by! One thing is for sure though, and that is that the summer has definitely rocked the casbah, as Scott would say!

2001-08-16T14:11:00.000-05:00

It was brought to my attention by a very close, personal friend that my comment about Steven, someone that I don't even really know I might add, was a bit harsh. I apologize if that is indeed the case. What can I say? I kinda just got carried away with myself!

2001-08-08T17:43:00.000-05:00

Once again, I'm really curious as to who reads my weblog. My best guess is that right now, the only ones reading on a semi-regular basis are Scott, Sean, and Travis. Megan usually does, but she's still up in Durango. SO, if you're reading this and aren't one of the above mentioned folks, please give me a shout-out!

2001-08-08T17:35:00.000-05:00

I have thoroughly enjoyed watching Sean and Steven's dialogue unfold over the past couple of days on both of their weblogs. Although the topic centers around homosexuality, it has rapidly evolved into a discussion about Christianity, something apparently Steven knows little about. I don't know the guy so I can't say much, but from what I've seen, he appears to be your typical high school debate veteran that loves to get his rocks off by coming down on other folks' statements. But then again, maybe I could be guilty of doing a lesser version of this act right now? Man I really hope not!

2001-08-06T16:03:00.000-05:00

I had expected this past weekend to be a good one, and indeed it was! The run Friday night was pretty toasty, but it was good to get out and run with Scott's dad, who has been my 5k partner for the past couple of years. Running solo is definitely refreshing and empowering, but running with a partner can truly be a rewarding experience, as has been the case with Mr. Secrest.

My time in Norman/OKC went by very quickly, but it was an extremely good time. It was really cool hanging out with Nader for the weekend, and it was definitely a pleasure spending time with his Arab friends, who were all really good guys. Saturday night we went to OKC and saw Conjunto Clave, and o yes, it was an incredible show! These guys would be the goods if they were national recording artists, but the kicker of it is that they are not. They're just a group of highly talented musicians from Oklahoma. Yahoo for us!

Then last, but certainly not least, was the Citizen Fish show last night in OKC. It was at this little punk rock bar called The Green Door, and it goes without saying that the scene present was quite different than the scene at my type of shows. Unfortunately, Citizen Fish didn't go on stage until around 11:30 pm. As a result of my having to be at work early the next morning, I only caught about 40 minutes of their set. Honestly, I'm still in the process of reflecting on this whole experience. The scene was really diverse as far as age goes, and according to Scott, several of the different punk "sects" were represented there. (Note: the word "sects" here is a quote from me and not Scott. I'm sure this is not the proper terminology.) I obviously do not have a Ph.D. in punk, but I do know that a rather large chunk of punk music has to do with serious action in life, whether that be political, philosophical, religious, etc. Having spent a decent amount of time observing the folks present last night, I would estimate that about 1/4 of the crew there was serious about those types of issues. True, it's kinda lame that I'm making this statement without having really conversed with any of them, BUT I do believe that one can pick up on some things by observation. All in all, I'm glad I attended the show. Did I enjoy the music? It was pretty decent. Did I enjoy the lyrics? I'm sure I would have liked some of them if I could have understood what the heck he was saying. I will say this, this guy Dick that's the lead singer for Citizen Fish is an absolute trip to watch! The guy can definitely dance a mean punk rock jig! Many thank you's to Scott for inviting me to this event. If for no other reason, it was was really good to partake in a punk show simply to experience something that Scott is really passionate about.

2001-08-06T10:35:00.000-05:00

As usual, I drove to work this morning receiving a portion of my daily dose of NPR. While listening to Morning Edition, I was very much intrigued by a piece that was done on multitasking. In my opinion, it goes without saying that in so many ways our society demands a certain level of performance, and as a result of such a demand, multitasking appears to be a must at times. This is unfortunate if you ask me, especially after hearing this piece. Studies done at both the University of Michigan and Carnegie Mellon University point towards the apparent negative effect multitasking has on productivity. Instead of me rambling on about this stuff, go check it out for yourself. Trust me, this subject is something that all of us could stand to know more about.

2001-08-03T13:14:00.000-05:00

Well, this weekend is looking like it will be quite the busy one. Tonight I'm running a 5k along the river, which is always a good time. Then, tomorrow morning I'll wake up and make the drive to Norman to hang out with Nader for the weekend. Scott's girlfriend Denise is coming up from Ft. Worth so that'll be fun as well. Sunday morning we're all going to a church in Moore to hear Sean preach, and I'm really looking forward to that experience. Lastly, Sunday night I'm going with Scott to my first ever punk rock show. We're seeing Citizen Fish, and according to Scott, these guys are the real deal as far as the punk scene goes. I am very curious to see what that evening will be like. I told Scott that I would enjoy going with him, but I would not participate in any slam dancing or mosh pitting. (Hey, he never phishes out with me at my shows so that's my excuse, ha ha!) Weekends are good!

2001-08-03T13:07:00.000-05:00

Woo-hoo for Scott, the man finally posted something! I was starting wonder whether he was taking my place as the ultimate blogging slacker.

2001-08-02T13:23:00.000-05:00

I honestly do not believe that I can do an adequate job expressing in words what I feel as a result of the House's passing a bill that would allow drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. I guess I can start by saying that I am both really mad and at the same time sad by this move. It is somewhat comforting to know that more than likely this bill will not pass the Senate, but none-the-less, I can't quite understand why people would value the amount of oil present up there over the pristine ecological habitat that truly is a rarity. Granted, I'm not exactly an expert on the details of all the exploration technicalities nor am I incredibly wise when it comes to environmental issues. BUT, my dad is in the oil & gas business, and I am a member of the Natural Resources Defense Council so that has in a way allowed me to be privvy to some of the odds and ends. Anyways, check this story out for yourself, and if you so feel compelled, contact your Congressman and let him or her know how you feel. Mother Nature is the goods, and it is our God-given job to protect her!

2001-07-29T16:51:00.000-05:00

The summer youth interns at my church created and organized this thing called "Shindig," which was basically their attempt to bring unity and positive spirituality to the folks at Redeemer Covenant Church. Well, the festivities went down today, and I'm here to say that it went extremely well! Not only did we have a good turnout, but it appeared to me that everyone was genuinely enjoying themselves. So, I tip my hat and give props to Grant Gudgel, Rachel Houghten, and Natalie Wakefield. You guys rock, and I am really proud of you!

2001-07-28T15:50:00.000-05:00

I cannot begin to describe the incredible time I had the past couple of days during the climbing class I took with The Climbing School! John Pleasant, the founder of The Climbing School, is not only an extremely gifted mountaineer and teacher, but he is also one awesome Christian man! In addition to John's teaching, we were also led by my friend Grant Gudgel and Sara Allen, both of whom are also extremely talented climbers! We spent two full days in the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge in Lawton learning a ton of stuff about climbing. Ranging from basic climbing techniques, setting up anchors and belay systems, proper communication, gaining knowledge about the several different types of hardwear, and the importance of constantly thinking things through, I now feel confident enough to go set up and attempt some decent climbs on my own, which I'm totally siked about! For those of you that think that it's funny that I claim to have gone climbing at a place called the Wichita Mountains in Oklahoma, I can understand. (Oklahoma has some excellent nature sites, but you just don't think of mountains when you think of Oklahoma.) BUT, I'm here to tell you that they were indeed mountains. Whether you're interested in climbing or not, you should take the time some day to go check out the Wichitas! For those of you that couldn't really get into something like that, the Wichita Mountains have got a lot of cool animals like bison, rattlesnakes, and armadillos so that's worth the trip too! And as far as The Climbing School goes, I highly reccommend them to people who are interested in gaining both basic and advanced mountaineering skills. Not only is it an awesome thing to get into, but in my case, it totally gave me a spiritual boost and brought me closer to God, which is always the goods! John currently does not have a website, but if you are interested, please e-mail me & I can hook you up with more info!

2001-07-23T19:11:00.000-05:00

So this buddy of mine used to have a t-shirt that said "Jesus was a communist," and as you could have guessed, this upset a lot of people. But you know what, there may be some truth to such a statement. No, Jesus was not cool with violent overthrows, but the fact of the matter is that there are a lot of misconceptions about true communism. I'm by no means a communist scholar nor am I a communist, but what I will say is that some of the components of communist thought and theory makes some decent sense. To my knowledge, a true communist society has never been achieved so it's not like we can sit back and say, "you know what, communism sucks and proof of that can be seen by looking at countries like China, the former Soviet Union, and Vietnam." I, like most people, am not hip to the things that have transpired, supposedly in the name of communism, in the past and present in these countries. The point here is that like many things in life, don't form a solid opinion on something simply because of statements your mom, dad, professor, reporter, or best friend says. Don't get me wrong, I have learned so much about so many things as a result of talking with professors, friends, and family members. BUT, it's like listening to a sermon at church, don't take what the pastor says as THE word of God. (That can only be achieved through careful study of the Bible and prayer.) The bottom line here is that I encourage all of you to step out and expand not only your knowledge base but also who you interact with in life. You know what, I'm sure most of you will read this and say, "WOW, where the heck did this come from?" I really don't know. Maybe it's because Scott and I may be doing a skit at church this Sunday involving communism, but then again, it may have nothing to do with that. I guess it really doesn't matter in this case. So there, leave me be! (Now that's what I call rambling on!)

2001-07-21T14:34:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Scott, I found a way to change my weblog template to the new style that you see now. How do you like it? I myself am enjoying it!

2001-07-21T14:08:00.000-05:00

For those of you that are curious, I still totally love disc golf! If you've never checked the PDGA website out, do it to it! Among other things, they list most all disc golf courses by city, which is very handy if you plan on taking a trip to a different city or even if you don't know your own city that well.

2001-07-21T13:58:00.000-05:00

I never have been too hip to people who are always dogging Tulsa and saying that there's nothing to do here. For example, Tulsa has a pretty decent live music scene. Granted, we still don't get that many national acts coming through town, but we do have a nice selection of local acts. Last night, Scott and I went down to the Bowery and saw this rad Afro-Cuban Jazz band from Norman that go by the name Conjunto Clave. Comprised of a wide variety guys playing such instruments as the saxophone, trumpet, trombone, timbales, congas, and upright bass, these guys were all extremely talented and made for a great evening of live music. They typically play Tulsa, Norman, and Oklahoma City so keep an eye out for them the next time they come around.

2001-07-12T17:36:00.000-05:00

Last night, Megan and I saw Artificial Intelligence or as the cool cats call it, "A.I.." I wasn't quite sure what all to expect, seeing as how I'd heard both good and bad reviews/comments. I personally dug the movie. It was by no means the best flick I'd ever seen, but it is definitely worth checking out. Although it runs about 2 1/2 hours, there are some really sweet scenes involving cool robots and future stuff like cars and buildings and whatnot. Go check it out!

2001-07-10T08:37:00.000-05:00

I am not ashamed to admit that in the past month, I have totally become addicted to disc golf! Honestly, I think that I have been playing roughly 2-3 times a week since starting, and it just keeps getting better and better. For those of you that haven't played, you should hook up with someone that has and go check it out. Other than the cost of purchasing your own discs, the game is free, which is a huge bonus of course. Also, the beauty of living in Tulsa is that there are several courses across town, ranging from fairly easy to beastly hard. So, as the great Levar Burton used to say on Reading Rainbow, "you don't have to take my word for it, go check it out for yourself!"

2001-07-10T08:31:00.000-05:00

O man o man, Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer are playing Lawrence, KS in mid-October! The show is on a Monday night, which means it'll be during the school week, BUT this great event is cause for finding a way to make that trip a possibility.

2001-07-10T08:26:00.000-05:00

OK OK, so my posting performance has been way beyond pathetic this summer, but come on folks, give me a break! One, the fact of the matter is that I haven't been spending much time on the computer since the spring semester ended. (I guess this is partially a result of working and just being on the go by doing whatever with friends/family and whatnot.) Second, it's sometimes easy for me to skip on the whole weblog thing because of my slim reader base. (Which it is now safe to say that I may have killed off a few of you by being so lazy with this thing.) My point here is that I will make a decent attempt at doing a better job, honestly. And for those of you that think this sounds like a big justification/apology, LEAVE ME ALONE!

2001-06-18T08:52:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I went out to Southern Hills for the U. S. Open with my family to celebrate Father's Day, and yes, for those of you that are curious, we did see the infamous Tiger Woods. We were fortunate enough to see his drive on the 5th hole, which is roughly about a 680 yarder. The man drove the ball about 365 yards and then used a fairway wood on his second shot to make it onto the green. As some of you probably know, Tiger wasn't ever really on top of his game this past week, but when he was, it was quite the sight to see. It was also truly remarkable to see the mob of people that were following him around the course, which really does equate to quite the workout seeing as how the country club's name doesn't lie. (There's a lot of beastly hills out there!) Although I could never imagine myself joining a country club, granted I may never have the chance financially, I will say that Southern Hills is a beautiful course, especially if you take away all of the stuck-up robots that congregate out there!

2001-06-10T13:04:00.000-05:00

Scott is leaving Tuesday for his 2-week excursion to the beautiful Central American country of Honduras, and I am so totally excited for him! Denise, Scott's girlfriend, is Honduran, and he will be staying down there with her and her family. Regardless of what all they end up doing during the two weeks, I'm sure a good time will be had by all!

2001-06-10T12:55:00.000-05:00

I've really been fortunate these past couple of days to get outside and do some fun activities with friends. Thursday, I went out and biked with my brother Travis, which was an excellent time except for the nasty acrobatics I pulled when I decided to get hung up on some concrete, fly over my handle bars, and skid along the pavement. Fun stuff let me tell ya! Friday, I went out and biked Turkey Mountain with my friends Josh Gunkel, Grant Gudgel, and Mick Murray, which was also a very good time. (It could be said that it was the toughest off-road biking I've done out at Turkey.) Lastly, yesterday evening I went out to the River Parks to play some disc golf with Scott, Josh, Josh's brother Jeff, and their dad. Although I played a rather poor round, it was good company and good times! What can I say, getting outside and playing with your friends is still awesome even when you're not quite a kid anymore!

2001-06-08T17:26:00.000-05:00

My apologies once again to you few faithful readers for not posting all that often. Like I said in my last post, summer is the goods, and sometimes, it's really easy to get caught up in all kinds of stuff and lag behind in others. None-the-less, I'll try to do better, but that's my story & I'm sticking to it!

2001-06-04T21:04:00.000-05:00

Summer for me has almost always been just about as good as it gets, and this summer so far has been no exception! Since I graduated almost a month ago, I've spent 10 days in Hawaii with my family, Memorial Day weekend at the lake with my girlfriend and her family, and some quality time with some of my best friends. In addition to all this, I've started my job at Family Resource Group, the mental health clinic which I've been spending time at for the past year now. As odd as it may sound, I truly do enjoy the job. The people I work with are top-notch folks, and I honestly do dig what I do there. What can I say? I am one blessed fool I guess!

2001-06-02T23:24:00.000-05:00

Well, tonight was the first night for new city, a new Saturday evening worship service at my church. Although everyone is welcome, new city is geared towards 18 to 30-somethings and is the brain child of my dear friend Sean Meade. I must say that I was somewhat disappointed by the turnout, not only the numbers but also the somewhat weak turnout by young people. I realize that summer can be a crazy time for people to attend something like this, but come on folks, we're talking about Jesus here! Anyways, I thought the music rocked and the message was excellent. Hopefully this thing will fly, and if it doesn't, I guess God has other plans. If you do live in Tulsa and are interested in new city, please e-mail me, and I can tell you more about it, regardless of whether you're a believer or not.

2001-05-29T23:19:00.000-05:00

FINALLY, Blogger has decided to cooperate and function as usual! I'm not exactly sure what the story was, but I do know that it wasn't just my weblog that was experiencing technical difficulty. Anyways, as you would guess, Hawaii was absolutely wonderful! My family and I went on some really great excursions & adventures, and we were able to spend some quality family time together, which is always the goods! Then, right after coming back to Tulsa, I turned around and went to a wedding in Edmond and then Lake Tenkiller with Megan, which was great fun as well. Today was the first day of work for me so I'm pretty dang tired. SO, I'm off to bed. It's good to be back, and I look forward to an excellent summer and some rockin posting action!

2001-05-12T11:46:00.000-05:00

I'm proud to say that this may be the first time that I have ever had this many posts on a single day. One of my reasons for doing this is because I will be unable to post for roughly the next two weeks. My family and I are going to Hawaii, and I am so incredibly siked! We will be spending some time on the "Big Island," Kauai, and Maui, doing everything from kayaking, snorkeling, biking, and hiking. I'm honestly not trying to brag here. I just simply wanted to share with you all the good times I will hopefully be having soon. I'll definitely try to post some stuff from my trip when I get back. In the mean time, have a great week or two, and aloha, mahalo, and all that good stuff!

2001-05-12T11:33:00.000-05:00

This past week I have seen both a good and bad movie. First, I saw Memento, which is an independent film that totally rocked! It's about this guy that is trying to find out more about his wife's rape and death, while he himself suffers from a damaged hippocampus, the brain structure in the limbic system that is responsible for both working memory and long-term memory. Even if this sounds like it wouldn't be your kind of a flick, go check it out anyways; the movie basically starts at the end of the story and progresses towards the actual beginning. Then, yesterday I saw The Adventures of Joe Dirt. Although it definitely had some funny parts, overall it was pretty lame. I will admit that I love some of those films with guys like Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, and David Spade, but Joe Dirt just didn't do it for me. So there ya go, one movie got the thumbs up, and the other got the thumbs down.

2001-05-12T11:21:00.000-05:00

My time was last Saturday, and today, it is Scott's. That's right, Scott has survived and conquered a 4-year stay at Baylor, which, for those of you that don't know, is in Texas, and today, he is graduating! What an accomplishment; not only is he graduating from college but also ending his term in Texas, which I personally don't know if I could do and walk away a sane man. I'm sorry folks, but I just don't like the state! Anyways, congrats my man, and congrats to Denise, Scott's girlfriend who is also graduating today!

2001-05-10T23:58:00.000-05:00

Well my friends, the day finally came; I had the privilege of meeting THE "Crazy Bike Guy" this evening, whose name I now know is Frank. Megan and I were on our way home from her brother Joe's baseball game when we saw him riding along 101st Street between Delaware and Yale. We pulled into our church and caught his attention. I then proceeded to introduce myself and tell him how incredibly awesome I thought he was. You guys just don't understand, this man basically spends most of his day riding a sweet mountain bike all over Tulsa and, no big surprise, he's ALWAYS happy! He gave me his business card and told me that he loves to ride and is just trying to stay healthy. Luckily for me, Megan happened to have her camera with her, and I actually got a picture with my man Frank! As I told him, I still hope to ride with him some day. As odd or lame as this may sound, Frank is sort of an inspiration to me. He's truly happy and totally loving life, and I am so so glad that I finally got to meet him. To quote Ice Cube, "today was a good day!"

2001-05-09T19:19:00.000-05:00

For those of you that have been paying attention to the news lately, you realize that the oil and gas prices have been climbing and whether we like it or not, it appears as though this trend will continue. My dad is in the oil and gas business so it's interesting to hear some of the insider info, some of which I can understand and some of which I cannot. As always, the Call The Editor section in the Tulsa World is good for some interesting points of view. Check this out:

Recently released figures show that people spend millions of hours of wasted time in their cars in traffic. There is a solution to this that the politicians don't want to accept, and that is to build a monorail. A monorail being built above things doesn't require the destruction of property, as might be required by winding streets or even subways.

This caller truly beat me to the punch because I am a HUGE fan of monorails and the idea of a monorail system in cities across the country! Come on people, you can't deny that monorails are the goods!

2001-05-09T19:11:00.000-05:00

I realize that I still have yet to discuss any of the things I learned at the democracy conference that took place at TU quite awhile ago. I PROMISE that I will, sometime soon, take the time to sit down and write up some of the more interesting and worthwhile ideas I attained at that conference.

2001-05-09T19:06:00.000-05:00

OK OK, so I have continued to slack off in regard to posting, but hear me out, things have been very busy. Last week I finished up finals, and o yes, Saturday I actually graduated! It was both a good and odd feeling to go through the whole graduation process, with the good dominating the odd. Practically my whole family was in town, and it was just a really excellent weekend! Thanks to all of you that have helped me through these past 4 years!

2001-05-02T21:51:00.000-05:00

For those of you who live in Tulsa, have you been fortunate enough to see the man I have dubbed "The Crazy Bike Guy?" For the past couple of years, I have seen this guy that rides a full-suspension Volvo series Cannondale all over Tulsa at all different times of the day. For those of you that know anything about mountains bikes, Cannondale's the real deal so he's obviously serioius about biking, not to mention the fact that he bikes all over town, all of the time! My brother Travis said that he saw him bouncing across an intersection the other day on his front wheel, how sweet is that?! I thoroughly intend on stopping some time and trying to have a conversation with this guy because quite honestly, I want to go ride with the man! Anyways, he's super cool and super friendly so if you see him, give him a shout out, and chances are that he'll give you his classic "Crazy Bike Guy" yell!

*It should be noted that the word "crazy" is used here not in reference to the good man's mental health but rather his awesome amount of energy!*

2001-05-02T21:31:00.000-05:00

Well folks, tomorrow is my last day of finals, which in turn equates to my last day of undergraduate study. Pardon the cliche, but time has seriously flown by these past 4 years! So anyways, I was taking a quick break from studying for my biological foundations of behavior exam and decided to finish up Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau, which I read half of quite some time ago. Although it's only a short, roughly 25 page essay, it is definitely something you just can't rip through and fully comprehend and appreciate. Even though I think everyone living in the United States should read the work at some point, check this exerpt:

"Cast your whole vote, not a strip of paper merely, but your whole influence. A minority is powerless while it conforms to the majority; it is not even a minority then; but it is irresistible when it clogs by its whole weight. If the alternative is to keep all just men in prison, or give up war and slavery, the State will not hesistate which to choose."

In my opinion, this is a good chunk of the essence of civil disobedience, but nonetheless, read the whole thing & figure it out for yourself!

2001-04-29T16:55:00.000-05:00

OK, so I'm pretty sure that I know who the few people are that actually read this on a regular basis (Megan, Scott, Sean, and maybe Denise), and I am very curious to see if there are any more of you out there. SO, if it isn't too much trouble, post a quick comment by clicking on Contribute at the end of this post. And while doing so, feel free to speak your mind, and let me know what's shaking! The idea is that some of the comments you share may spark just as much discussion as the actual posts I make. So if you do check this jewel out every once in awhile, be sure to check for comments as well. It may take a little more time, but trust me, it could prove to be worth it.

2001-04-29T16:46:00.000-05:00

For those of you that care, it appears as those Scott and I will be getting a house together next fall. All I can say is that regardless of the location, the EC & Ralph Estate will be the sweetest place in Tulsa!

2001-04-29T16:43:00.000-05:00

Well, along with my good friend Scott, I successfully completed TV Turnoff Week this past week. Although I'm not totally down with some of the reasoning behind this Adbuster campaign, I do think that a week without TV is a good thing. In addition to making some serious progress on school stuff this past week, I got out and ran, biked, and read some. Whether it was a coincidence or not, I also felt more at peace and attuned to God without zoning out in front of the TV. I'm not trying to say that TV is this big bad monster that should be avoided at all cost. All I'm saying is that you'd be amazed at how many awesome things you could be doing if you weren't plopped down in front of the television. Regardless of whether it's official or not, try it out sometime. It doesn't even have to be a whole week, try it just for a day or two. Trust me, you'd be amazed at how much effort it takes to avoid the temptation at times.

2001-04-29T14:08:00.000-05:00

So I was telling my friend Rebecca about my weblog and how she should check it out, and I thought to myself, "Hey, am I a dork because I enjoy weblogs?" To me, weblogs are good for not only giving people a better understanding of what the person maintaining the site is like, but they also school folks to the latest news and happenings. Personally, I think these things are legitmate points, but even so, maybe I am a dork? As a matter of fact, I'll go on the record right now and say that I believe I am a dork, and personally, I think dorks are cool! But then again, what else could a dork think???

2001-04-28T00:03:00.000-05:00

They've got a post over on Metafilter about some article which covers this study that says too much school testing is damaging to one's health. As much as I'd like to believe this, I find it to be a rather shady notion. Then again, I am fully aware of the stress and various other results of beastly exams!

2001-04-27T23:51:00.000-05:00

For those of you out there that are unfamiliar with Metafilter, you should really check it out sometime. It's basically a huge weblog with all kinds of news and such. Postings range from serious news stories to crazy happenings in life, and like many weblogs, you can post comments. As you can see by checking it out, some of the posts receive an unbelievable amount of comments, which can make for some interesting reading in and of itself. By the way, Sean's the one who introduced me to Metafilter, or "MF" as the cool cats call it!

2001-04-27T15:36:00.000-05:00

It has recently been brought to my attention, thanks to my two loyalists Scott and Sean, that my spelling and grammar on this thing are sometimes rather poor. I aplogize for this, and as a service to the faithful few, I will do a better job in the future. For what it's worth though, when it comes to school work and other stuff, I rock at spelling and grammar!

2001-04-26T17:14:00.000-05:00

For those of you that are extra observant, I added a counter to my weblog. I'm not quite sure if I like it, but hey, it's free and does the deed so why not?! If you have a website and are interested in a counter, check this out!

2001-04-26T14:32:00.000-05:00

My girlfriend Megan is a huge fan of the show Dawson's Creek, and I will admit, I used to occasionally give her a hard time about her grand level of fandom. Now, I have really tried to ease up some, and this is largely because of some the readings I have covered in my mass communication course this semester. For example, have you ever wondered why some people are referred to as fanatics or fans and others simply as aficienados? In many cases, this distinction is made on a value judgement in regard to what the object of fandom is. If someone is very fond of someone like Mark Twain or Bela Fleck, chances are the fan will be seen as normal. On the other hand, say the person is totally nuts about the WWF or Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf; now it's a whole other story. My point here is that we shouldn't be quick to pass judgement on other people's likes and dislikes. As always, this is easier said than done sometimes, or at least it is for me. SO, if you dig watching Dawson's Creek or simply prefer a show more like The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, good for you; I'm cool with that as long as you're not harming yourself or anyone else! But now that I think about, I'm sure there are some of you out there that think Hank is harmful so who the heck knows?!

2001-04-26T14:09:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, along with my new good friend Anne, I completed the final paper for my conflict management course. Choosing the topic of school violence, we looked at some of the different factors leading to various forms of aggressive acts at school, as well as some of the programs schools and other institutions are trying to create in order to prevent school tragedies. Now I'm finishing up this group case study on Britney Spears for my media in contemporary society course. Our goal was to study Britney Spears as not merely being a talented singer, which is debatable depending on who you ask, but Britney Spears as someone that happens to have two of the most desirable qualities in our consumer-driven society: youthfulness and sexual attractiveness. My point in mentioning these two papers is that I absolutely love being a student of the arts & sciences college. I'm sure there's a lot of folks out there, some of you possibly my dear friends and family, that thing that this sort of work and research is pointless and unimportant. Well, I'll go toe to toe with anyone on the great value and importance of an arts & sciences' education. I'm not trying to say that everyone should go to college and major in something related to arts & sciences. What I am saying is that regardless of your interests or what you want to do with your life, the information and skills that can be attained from taking courses in an arts & sciences program are things to be treasured and respected, not cheapened and dumped upon. Now that's what I call a rant, GOOO! Anyways, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it!

2001-04-26T13:49:00.000-05:00

I will admit, I still have a rather large quantity of school work to complete before I can totally relax and enjoy the goodness of my upcoming graduation. BUT, I really have been lame lately when it comes to posting on this bad boy. I try to check out Scott and Sean's weblog at least once every other day or so, and these good men always have something worthwhile on there. We're all busy, but the difference between them and myself is that they stay true to the posting and I do not. Shame on me! I can say that I'm rather loyal when it comes to reading and posting on their weblogs, apparently something few people know how to do considering their comments as well as my own. But hey, I'm not bitter, just a little stressed and tired. Life is good and so are weblogs. For those of you that can't quite seem to grasp this truth, you're missing out, and I pray that you'll soon realize the goodness, whether it be life, weblogs, cheese, dessert, whatever works!