"Veritas"

VERSE 1
I walked away
Looked in your eyes
Shot you down as you begged me to stay.
Now you
Are gagged and bound
No, I won't let you spread all your life taking lies all around.

CHORUS
Veritas Vos Liberabit
An introspective view reveals the key.
Veritas Vos Liberabit
With my own lips I can break the chains that bind me.

Verse 2
I was your slave
Followed your every command
Almost into the grave.
But not
The table turns
And I'm gonna watch what you build
As it crashes and burns.

Chorus

Bridge
Lies cost more
Than you bargained for
or can pay.
Words cause war
And restore
the Broken.

Chorus

Copyright©2008 by Justin Randall Brown

Remember how I love lists?

Currently

Things I love:
Customizing and riding my bicycle
Reading
Smoked Turkey and Munster Sandwiches
Bringing my lunch to work
Writing new music

Things I hate:
My job
My fruitless job search
The hot weather

Vacation and the return to real life

Well, I had an amazing vacation in beautiful Lake Tahoe. It was so good to have time away from everything stressful. Normally I lay around and get pretty lazy when I have time away from work, but not this time. My trip to Tahoe was full of activities ranging from a 13 mile kayak expedition, a 4 hour hike with a 1200ft elevation change ( from 7600-8800ft), a very cool and education cruise tour around the lake, a concert featuring REO Speedwagon and Styx, and lots of other great things. An added bonus of the trip is that spending so much time being active has sparked in me the desire to stay that active and to appreciate the natural beauty in my home town. I am currently mapping out and planning several hiking treks in Georgetown. They range in difficulty and length from the very flat zero elevation change San Gabriel Trail at only 1 mile in length to the grade 4 incredibly rocky Good Water trail at a daunting 16.5 miles around Lake Georgetown. I am saving the long one for October or November when it is much cooler and there aren't as many snakes and mosquitoes. Joey Halbert-you will need to join me for this hike. Also, I want people to come on alot of hikes with me. So let me know if you want to come.

The bad part of being on vacation is coming home. I am still not making progress in finding a new job and some days it just seems hopeless. One thing that became very real to me today as I felt another possible job slip through my fingers was this: I can wait for a job to change my life, or I can change my life and wait for a job. I need to stay focused on accomplishing the latter of the two. Prepare to witness change...but please keep praying for a job.

In parting I want to leave you with this very personal fact...so we can all feel connected:
High altitude gives me gas and constipation.

Enjoy!

Three days

I have three days of work left until I leave for Lake Tahoe with my beautiful wife. I sincerely need this time away from work.

My friend Joseph and I are collaborating and planning to build a tiny house or cabin. Not tiny like a doll house, but tiny like only the space you need. It's gonna be sweet.

I don't have anything else I want to say right now.

"I went to the woods..."

So, I really want to get a small plot of land and build a little cabin like Henry David Thoreau did. I know it would be hot in the summer and cold in the winter, but I would love to have someplace to go and get out in nature and just be away from all modern things. Just get my head clear. Also I like to build stuff.

If anybody has some land somewhere in Texas and you would like to have a cabin like this on your land...I have a deal for you. I will purchase the materials and build the cabin on your land in exchange for frequent unannounced use of the cabin. Good deal, eh?

Next week I am going to be in Lake Tahoe and I am excited.

HEAT SUCKS!

Seriously?! 10 straight days of triple digits? Not fun. Oh well...it will make my beautiful autumn feel all the better.

This weekend my wife and I super cleaned our abode and having a clean house helps you keep a clear mind...at least for me it does.

We scored this sweet vintage wall mounted liqueur cabinet with stained glass in it and put it in our kitchen. Needless to say, it's awesome.

I am very hopeful that I will get a call back from Charles Schwab this week. Maybe you can all be hoping for that as well.

I got my car washed at this cool place where it's all done by hand and it looks awesome. For some reason I think that getting in a car accident right after you got your car washed would be worse than any other time. Accept maybe if you had just got your car washed and you were rushing home because you were about to have an ass-plosion and then you got in a wreck. That would be worse.

I have another 6 day work week and I am not excited about it. I need help staying positive and grateful right now. Maybe it's just because it's Monday.

I am sorry for my absence

Over the past month one of our three member management team left. Consequently I have been working six days a week and have had very little time to update. I am STILL grateful to be employed.

Yesterday, my little brother and I put up ceiling fans in my house to surprise my wife and it was awesome. First of all, J and I knocked out the installing of both of the fans in less than an hour and a half combined. Secondly, Kim was very surprised and it was great to see her reaction. I love working on my home and my yard...it has really helped to keep my appreciating what God has given me.

I am off on Sunday and I plan to go to church, have a great home-made lunch with my wife, and do a little yard work. It will be wonderful.

I am also very excited to be spending the 4th of July with my wife and my family in my parents new house. It's always fun to spend holidays with family...especially my family.

Keep me in your prayers.

What I tell You Three times in True

Yet again I write a blog to say that things are not going so well, but I am trying to stay hopeful. I am still with out a new career path, but I am grateful for the job that I have. More than that, I am grateful for the life I have.

In the course of two days I had three very close friends tell me they felt that I should return to the church and try to connect. I am definitely going to start searching for a good church for my wife and I, but I am a bit conflicted. I don't think that it is OK to go to church so that you get a new job, but if I am very honest...I am hoping that this return to practicing a faith based ritual will in some way help me in my search. I do believe God understands and does not condemn this back burner thought.

I gotta keep on keepin' on.

LOVE.LOVE.LOVE.

Update

I am spoke with a career counselor who told me to join facebook to help me find a new job. I did so and instead of a job offer I received countless "friend requests" from people I knew way back when. In an effort to broaden my network, I have only declined friendship to about a dozen people. I am trying to join launch[ad job club but I can't seem to sign up and I sent them an e-mail explaining this and received no further instruction. Frustrating.

Saturday I sat and talked with some people I hadn't seen in a quite some time and our conversation was encouraging. Nobody told me"Everything will be alright" or "I'm sure you'll get a great job real soon", but I was told by people who have known me since I was very young that they are proud of how I am handling this situation. That was and still is encouraging. God is allowing me a little bit of instant gratification by making it clear that this time in my life is teaching me alot of very valuable lessons. I am also really happy and excited for the great direction and possible new career my wife has found. I know this will sound really WBish, but seeing my wife happy makes it alot easier for me to deal with a crappy career.

I got to play pool football with my dad and brothers today. We probably hadn't done that in 3 years. It was alot of fun and left me a in a very satisfying state of tired" Does anybody else know what I mean by that? It's a good tired. I sleep well type of exhausted.

I have a great family.

Swinging for the fences

As you all new I am desperately searching for a new career. Things at my current job took a terrible turn about a month ago and have gotten steadily worse since then. I have been looking for jobs and networking, but nothing has come of it. Now, it is time I start swinging for the fences. If you have ever seen a baseball player strike out swinging,there are two ways it goes down. The first way is seen by the guy trying to get one base. He doesn't want to swing to hard because he's worried about pulling it foul, or missing all together and then not only would he not be on base, but he might look desperate or stupid. The other way it happens is when I guy steps up to the plate already determined to swing as hard as he can at the pitches coming his way. He may miss three good pitches, but even when he strikes out the people on his team and those watching will say things like "Man, if he had made contact that thing would have been outta here!" He will strike out looking desperate and maybe even exhausted. But no one will be able to say he didn't give those three swings every thing he had. I am that guy. I have been taking timid swings at a new career, but now the pine tar is on and I am ready to dislocate a shoulder swinging for the fences. If you are parked directly beyond the center field wall...I apologize for what is going to happen to your windshield.

As always I ask for your continued prayers and encouragement and if any of you have any solid jobs leads I would be most grateful to hear of them.

LOVE.LOVE.LOVE.

Be anxious for nothing

I feel relatively confident that every single person who reads this blog is either family or close enough to be considered family. For that reason I don't feel the need to explain in great detail that I am a man of faith, but I am not overtly spiritual. That being said, this past week God has shown me a great lesson I have heard my whole life in a brand new light. My last post explained how things at work had gone from bad to worse...and then to terrible. I felt the need ,not only as a man with a job to do, but as a husband who needs to working on being in control of his emotions regardless of circumstance to do my very best to see the good in this situation...or at least be grateful that I am employed. This turned out better than I ever could have imagined. Not only did I feel much better about my situation and truly start to be thankful for what God has provided, but I was able to change the downhearted feeling in my work environment to one of hope and opportunity. By far the greatest thing to come from truly trusting God ( a very difficult task at times) is that my wife and I have grown incredibly closer through this. She saw how hard I was trying to stay positive and she in turn has been incredibly supportive. I guess the whole point of posting this is just to say that I am extremely thankful for the way things have worked out thus far and I am excited, not scared, to see where they go from here. I hate hearing things about how hard times build character and all that crap because nobody wants to hear that when they are royaly pissed off, but the fact of the matter is that God can use all things to his glory and I am learning that in a way I never would have thought.

On a related note I have applied for a position with Texas Parks and Wildlife and I would greatly appreciate your prayers on that front.

I am thinking about starting a weekly or monthly game night at Kimberly and I's home. I think it's very important to stay close to friends and family, especially when times are tough...so if you'd be down with game night...let me know. Perhaps yard bowling would be fun.

Update

Things at work have taken a turn for the worse. My boss was fired and it would seem that corporate is on a witch hunt. Consequently I have started an all hands on deck job search. By this I mean that I am asking very sincerely that all of my friends and family keep an eye and an ear out for a possible job opening for me. I am praying that God shows me exactly what to do in this situation, because in all honesty...I am out of patience for this crap and getting through this will only happen with God's help. So please be praying for me. If you want to know some specific things to pray for I have a short list:
Patience
Faith
The ability to see God as my provider
The ability to give my stress to God (I developed an involuntary eye twitch this past week)
A GREAT NEW JOB VERY VERY SOON!

Your prayers would be greatly appreciated.

I hit the hot-tub with my family last night. Good times. I think it's very important to have a great family support system during times of great stress. I am very blessed to have that.

I am going to go try not to be stressed out now.

The Summer of Greatness

In previous posts I have alluded to my premonition that this will be greatest summer of my life to date. Today, I want to take the opportunity to tell you all some of the things I have planned for this summer and why they will make this the greatest summer I have experienced thus far. After I have told you about my plans I want to open the floor to comments, questions, and suggestions about what else I might do this summer. However, before we get into my presentation, I want to give you an abbreviated back story on the history of myself and summers.

When I was a very young boy I loved summer. My brothers and I would spend all day playing outside with friends and doing things like running through the sprinklers, building forts, catching bugs and small animals, and so on and so forth. My love for the hottest season of the year started to wain as I started high school. As a young man with the desire to be involved in activities that cost money, I spent my summers working. Oh sure I had ALOT of free time even when I was working, but to a young teen being, every moment not spent in school should be spent doing whatever he pleases. And so, this disdain for the months between May and September grew stronger as I entered college and began attending both school AND work year round. Then, summer was just like the rest of the year...only much MUCH hotter!
I have since graduated college, taken a wife, and we have purchased a home. Not only do I have all of these things to celebrate year round, but I have an abundance of friends and family with whom I wish to spend my time...even in the summer. Additionally, summer happens to be my wife's favorite season of them all ( I suppose opposites DO attract) and so because I love her I love what she loves. Summer Included. And that brings us to why this summer will be the best ever. I give you the list of activities that will make up "The Summer of Greatness"

May
1 year wedding anniversary
My brother Joseph's wedding in Montana
My wife's birthday
My brother Jeremy's high school graduation

June
My sister Bethany's wedding in Texas
My cousin Ryan's wedding in North Dakota

July
4th of July Bar-B-Q (tentative)
Vacation in Nevada with my wife

Miscellanies Summer Fun
Round Rock Express Baseball Games
Building our backyard deck
Family and friend backyard parties
Swimming at our neighborhood pool
Trips to the lakehouse in Conroe
Trips to the Boat House in Belton
Trips to the coast
Fishing
Being tan
Playing Frisbee
Helping my family love into thier new home
Teaching Rovy to swim (the backstroke)
Running at San Gabriel Park
Kayaking
Camping
AND SO MUCH MORE!

I want to let you know that if you are reading this, I want to spend time with you this summer. We can do lots of activities on this list or anything else you can think up.

Now, I want t turn it over to you all and hear what you think of my plans for "The Summer of Greatness". Will you be joining me for this all season long celebration? Do you have more ideas of how to make this the best summer ever? I would love to hear what you have to say.

I'm really excited!

Artists

If you are an artists you can not stop being an artist. Whether you create visual art, music, poetry, prose, food, or any other of the mediums of art, you can not decide that you will no longer create your art. I know in my own life I have had a time or two when it seemed as though my artistic pursuit had runs it's course, but what I failed to realize is that my creating is not entirely up to me. If I never set foot on a stage again I am still a musician and a song writer. I NEED to write music. It's good for my soul to hear emotion, my emotion, expressed through melody. Maybe this all sounds a bit out there, but I know too many people who create art in one fashion or another who are extremely creative and still, like myself, have shied away from making their art. So, to myself and to all of you I say LIVE FULLY, BREATH DEEP, AND CREATE!

I will never get this

Texas weather consistently confounds me. A few days ago I was with my little brother sitting on my back porch sipping some awesome sweet tea and enjoying the mid 8o degree temperatures. We decided to throw the football. After approximately 3.1 throws it started to rain very lightly. Over the next 45 minutes it poured rain and hail. once the rain had subsided we went outside to find that it was in the low 50's. RIDICULOUS!

Anyway, after tonight I am off for three days and I am very excited. My wife and I will get to work on the back yard and get it ready for so many summer shindigs. We will also get to go jogging at the very beautiful San Gabriel park ( a new favorite pass time) and actually prepare a meal together, sit down at the table and eat together, and then she'll clean up the mess I make while eating. No seriously...I'll help too...kinda...I mean I'll provide entertainment while she cleans up.

We have finally entered the last stage of our great kitchen hutch build and will be installing it tomorrow. I really love building things with my hands and also working together with Kimberly...so this project has been great fun for me. It's almost a shame to complete it.Oh well...we need to put our dishes some where.

I know soda is bad for you...I know this. I also know that I am an addict and there are alot worse things to be addicted to. I am trying to ween myself off of soda by switching to caffeine free. I still just can't bring myself to drink diet. It tastes like rat poison smells.

Just to update you all on the job hunt situation, I have a seemingly good situation in which a company got my resume through a friend who works there and liked what they saw enough that they are trying to create a position for me. The work I would be doing is in my degree and badly needed in the company, but creating a position can take some time. To follow the wisdom "don't put all your eggs in one basket" I am continuing the search for a better career. Keep me in your prayers.

I am getting very excited about the traveling my wife and I will be doing this summer. My little brothers wedding in May is in Montana, where I have never been. Less than a month later we will head to South Dakota for Kimberly's cousin's wedding. I have also never been there, but I have a great interest in that area and it's people.

So, this summer will be the greatest summer ever and I am very optimistic about what it holds. Opportunity abounds!

LONG weekend recap

The weekend was long...not the recap. Here's some of what I did:

Played my madden Season (currently 16-0 heading into play offs with an injured QB)
Hunt out with my beautiful wife
Purchased and set up a new patio set. SWEET!
Played at my friends back yard driving range...I suck at golf.
Watched me some March Madness
Started painting a piece of furniture for our kitchen
Job searched
Read "Lake Woebegone Days" by Garrison Keillor
Hung out in my back yard with Rovy

I know what your thinking. "Justin" you'll say. "You didn't go anywhere or do anything really exciting." Then I'll shoot you a slight grin and say..."Exactly." I loved just hanging out. It was good for my soul.

Also, even though I was on vacation I did a good job not blowing my diet and I am proud to say I am still on target for the whole looking good thing.

I have a very interesting prospect for a new career and I am praying that it comes through. I feel pretty strongly that this job would be really great for me and that the company I would be working for really needs me. That's a good feeling. The problem is that they have to create the position for me to fill and that can take some time. Oh well. It's out of my hands.

I have another long weekend this weekend...only this one is 3 days instead of five. Nice.

What have you been up to? Let me know

T minus 5 and a half hours!

That's how long I have until my vacation starts and I am super jacked about it! There will be kayaking, grilling,disk golfing, playing of madden '05 n PS2, hopefully getting to see some friends I haven't seen in a while, yard work, and general fun.

My wife and I went running this morning...yeah...in the morning. I hate early morning, but after you get your athletic attire on and get out the door...you will be so glad you did! First of all, when we got home is was almost 9am and we were full of energy and had a ton of time to do what we wanted. Secondly, research shows that if you exercise first thing in the morning you will lose more weight, have more energy, and retain information better for the whole day. That's a pretty sweet side affect.

I started playing Madden in Franchise Mode after a discussion with my brother about the possibility of making to the super bowl. I am in week 6 and with one of those weeks being a bye...I currently stand 5-0 and lead the conference. I know this may sound lame, but I need some sort of football to get me through to the start of the NFL pre-season.

So, um...nobody offered to give me an iPod yet. Selfish, yeah? That's alright. For your next birthday I am going to buy you an iPod...except it will be for me and I won't actually give you anything.That's what!

5 Days

That is how long I have away from work starting Thursday. I am extremely excited about this and plan do accomplish quite a bit during this time. One thing I hope to accomplish is relaxation. Yeah...maybe get a massage...finally. I also want to work around the house, spend a ton of time outside, get together with friends, make great meals for my wife and I, exercise, play some music, and maybe get a tan. That sounds like a sweet week to me.

I went running yesterday and I had a feeling afterwards I would like to share with you. I am sore. I hurt in muscles I had almost forgotten. In addition to the pain is an urge to do it again. I am feeling good about my fitness plan.

On a related topic, I am trying to eat right and make better food choices. So far the hardest thing to deal with is the desire to snack alot. I love having something to munch on and what I didn't realize the insane amount of calories I was putting into my body between meals. Terrible. I'm workin on it though. Give me 6 weeks and I will look different.

Similar Stupidity Part 2

Today's installment is about parenting or the lack there of among cultures. All of these styles have been witness numerous times by myself while trying to do my job in a place of business. I submit the following:

White people are an interesting group to watch with their kids. I understand that there are a million different parenting style, but one that belongs almost exclusively to white parents is the "Put a cute little leash on your children" technique. Ironically, the parents that leash their children like animals are usually the same parents who think they can "negotiate" with a screaming 2 year old who is pissed off at the world because their mommy and daddy didn't buy them that Hanna Montana inflatable singing cereal bowl/doll stage. Talk about sending mixed signals.

Black parents tend to be more old school in their approach to child rearing. I am a HUGE believer in spanking, but there is a time and a place...and time is not right now while you are shopping in my store. Do you know how awkward it is to be reaching out to take some one's credit card only to have that hand swiftly redirected to the a$$ of a child standing less than two feet away?! And it only gets better when they hand you the card that was just used as an instrument of punishment. "Alright ma'am, here's your receipt and your tool of infant gluteus destruction. Have a great day."

The last category of parenting has been observed in every culture, but seems to run rampant in Asians, middle eastern families, and Mexican nationals. I am speaking of the hands off approach. You've all seen these people. There kid is tearing a store to shreds or just as often peeing in a fitting room, and the parents act as though they are no more responsible for the child than they are the weather. My favorite part is when I have repeatedly asked the kids to stop whatever socially unacceptable behavior they are engaged in numerous times (my max is 3) and after seeing no change in actions or attempts to reign in unruly youngsters by the parents...I kick them out of my store. The parents always look shocked and incredibly offended that I would be so brazen as to ask their child to please not defecate on the jeans. How rude of me.

I want to make sure not to leave out a parenting group that also spans all races and genders...the one's that actually do a good job. I saved them for last because they aren't very funny and also...they're pretty rare these days. I go out of my way to tell kids what a great job they did shopping and compliment the parents as well when I encounter the rarest of all beasts...a well behaved child.

Well that's it for this episode, but stay tuned for the next installment of Similar Stupidity.

Just an Update

I feel like I am doing a good job of keeping this updated lately. Today I have no particular topic to discuss other than some things I have been thinking and working on.

Fitness - I have talked a little bit about how I want to get back into good shape and be a good steward of the body God gave me. So, this morning my wife and I went out and purchased some clothing and shoes more appropriate for the pursuit of physical fitness. When I was a kid I loved to wear shorts and cowboy boots, but some how that look doesn't translate when you are in your mid to late twenties. I have written down my goals in easily measurable metrics and I am optimistic about meeting those goals.

Music - I have been playing some new songs with my younger brother and liking what we have created. Our combined efforts always seem to take us a mellow and somewhat understated direction that is foreign to me. It's very cool.

Massages - I freakin' love massages and would get one every day of my life if I could. Anyway, I have recently become completely addicted to watching massage training videos on youtube. I know it sounds weird, but just watching them is insanely relaxing. Be careful when you are searching for these videos...there are some not so family friendly ones out there. I suggest any of the technique videos posted by "massagenerd". Pretty much anything with nerd in the title is safe.

iPods - I don't own one, and I am starting to see how incredibly convenient they are. I have a large collection of music, most of which is in CD format and it is very annoying to have try to switch CD's while I'm driving...not to mention dangerous. I also don't like the idea of keeping multiple volumes of CD books in my car...that's just asking for trouble. So, I want to get an iPod, but before I go crazy and buy whatever $200 version is popular right now, I thought I'd see if anybody wanted to sell me their older version. I assume they all work in basically the same fashion, so a used one would be a good test run. Let me know if you or any one that you know wants to sell ( or give ) me their old iPod.

Summer - I have not been a fan of summer for most of my life. However, I have decided that this summer will be amazing! I want to take weekend trips with my wife and friends and family. Try new things and see new places. It will be great.

I leave you with a joke:
A guy with amnesia walks up to a woman in a bar and says "So...do I come here often?"

Similar Stupidity

I am not the type of person who believes that all cultures are really just the same. However, there are areas in which we are very similar. Today I want to focus on one those similarities that are hilariously ridiculous.I feel like this may end up being a series...so stay tuned. ON WITH THE SHOW!

Clothing - so many people dress in such ridiculous fashion that we are all forced to take note and there seems to be similarities in all of them. Alot of white guys walk around wearing "vintage" stuff that their dad probably wore 30 years ago. In a similar way, alot of black guys walk around wearing t-shirts that are so large it makes them look like a toddler wearing their daddy's undershirt. Similarly stupid. American youth, at least for a time, was very interested in Asian culture and specifically their style or writing. People bought shirts that had Chinese characters on them with captions that said things like "strength" or "power" when all the while no one in this country knew for certain what those symbols actually meant. Now the craze of wearing American words and phrases has hit Asia. Yes, on every street corner and in every teenage hot spot in China you can find a young man or woman wearing a shirt that proudly proclaims in GIANT bold letters "HAMMER THONG FISH BERRY" and a corresponding caption that undoubtedly says something brilliant or rebellious, but was at least coherent.

If there's one thing we can learn from this let it be that no matter how cool you think you look right now, chances are, in a few years you will realize how ridiculous you actually looking.

A bunch of stuff

So, I really love craigslist. It's awesome to have an outlet through which you can sell crap you don't want anymore, to people who think it's worth something. Very cool.

Lately I have been feeling a strong need to get a massage. Some people are not OK with the idea of a stranger rubbing them down, but I think having a friend that was a masseuse would be way more awkward. Think of the countless scenarios in which something gets weird during the massage forcing you to make up a reason that you can never see your massaging friend again! Perhaps you get so relaxed that while said friend is rubbing you down you release the built up gas caused from digesting Taco Cabana (why did you eat Mexican food before a massage?!), or perhaps your friend says something weird like "Have you ever thought of getting this removed?" (while poking at a mole on the inside of your upper thigh), or maybe the friend walks in and very slowly and professionally removes the sheet covering you naked body. SEE?! It's way less weird to get a massage from a perfect stranger. I win.

I have this idea for a recipe. So, I am gonna take a Tilapia fillet,bread it in crunched up tortilla chips, oven bake it, and the cover it in queso! Does that sound awesome or what?! Yes!

Dancing with the stars is maybe the worst show I've ever seen. They get all these D-list celebrities to get up and dance and then judge them. Look, the only reason they are one the show is because they suck so much at acting, their profession, that they can't get real gigs...so if they suck that bad at their job it's a pretty safe bet they are going to suck at something they are trying for the first time.

Daylight savings time is stupid. People say it's for the farmers, but I have news for you...a farmer is up when the sun comes up. It doesn't matter if the clock says 3pm or 4am, if the sun is up than so is the farmer. Let's just leave time alone and be normal. Like Arizona who does not recognize daylight savings.

I got a sweet beach cruiser type bike to ride around and try to get some exercise, but for some reason the bike pump I have won't fill the tires. I tried blowing the tires up with my mouth so I could get out. By the time I got it rideable and woke up on the garage floor, I figured I probably did enough of a work out just blowing the thing up. So I sold the bike and kept the tire. Now I just sit around and inflate the tire with my mouth.

*CAUTION* If you are easily offended or lame...do not read this post!

I want to talk about how America has been ruined. It is insane what the government pawns off as progress. Today I am going to list a couple of things that are completely messed up about the United States of America. I love my country, and it is for that reason that I want to point out it's mistakes and help rectify them. Here we go.

Things that are ruining America:
Political Correctness - this is a ridiculous attempt to make every body stop "calling names". I am sick and tired of checking the "Caucasian" box on applications. I'm white! It's perfectly fine to call me white, and I think it's perfectly fine to call somebody black instead of African American. Guess what?! Most the black people in this country have never seen Africa! And if you are saying they are African American because that's where their ancestors came from then why don't you call white people Scottish Americans, English Americans, German Americans and so on?! BECAUSE IT WOULD BE STUPID! Being PC bothers me on alot of levels, but the most important is that it goes directly against our first amendment. Aren't we, as citizens of these great united states, afforded the freedom of speech by our founding documents? I guess I misunderstood our founding fathers.

Affirmative Action - why do you have to hire a certain number of certain people groups? This, again, is stealing our freedoms. I don't like the idea that people would not hire somebody because they are a certain race, religion, or gender, but more than that I hate the idea they those people can be FORCED to hire people they don't want to. I have also been told by a friend of mine who has been hired under affirmative action, that it sucks to never be sure if you got the job because you are good at what you do or just because you're a minority. Also, being a white middle class male, I am now much less likely to get a job if a minority or a woman with the same qualifications applies for the job. Not because the other candidate does better work, but because they employer is scared they will get sued if they hire the white guy instead of the minority. Awesome.

Abortion - That's right! I'm going there. If you read our nations founding documents you will find that one of the very first rights listed in the Declaration of Independence is LIFE. As in "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness". How have we forgotten this right? The first right a person is given? Tying into my other two complaints about the government, how is it politically correct to refer to a human life as "an accident" that can simply be taken away. And secondly, how is it possible that we live in a day and age where the government will tell you who you can and cannot hire, but they won't stand up and say "You can't kill your unborn children!". I can make no since of this.

Another week

Well, I survived another week and I am moving on to enjoy a weekend with friends and family. I am very excited about some job prospects but I am also trying not to get my hopes up. I have applied for close to 30 positions in the past few months and most of those positions start reviewing applicants the first week of March. I am optimistic about my chances of having a new career my the time April shows up.

I had a great after noon cleaning my home with my beautiful wife. That and grocery shopping are probably my favorite chores. Especially when they can be completely while sharing the company of my wife.

I am excited to be attending a wedding this weekend. I have been so blessed in my marriage to Kim and I get really happy when I believe my friends and family will find the same joy I have found. Good stuff.

I guess that's all for today. I have some shopping to do with the wife. Today is a GOOD day.

My Most sincere appologies...

It has been far too long since I last updated, and for that I am sorry. During the past few weeks my life took a turn for the crazy side of town. It was a whirlwind of stressful conspiracy theories at work, traveling to and from a family funeral, job searching, and finally...just trying to relax and catch my breath. Mission accomplished. I am now back to feeling like myself, save a few a small changes. Let me tell you somethings that I have learned or thought about in the past few weeks.

Death: it is very sad, and no matter how it comes, those left in it's wake will need time and support to over come the natural course of grief. I have also learned that while I would appreciate it if it wasn't spread over three days, I appreciate the way in which Catholics celebrate the life of the dearly departed. I would like something that resembles a wake when I fly away.

Snow: I just love that stuff! I know that like anything else too much of a good thing...but I don't see it enough to get tired of it.

Work: is what I do...not who I am. I am very unhappy in my current job, but thankful to be employed. I pray that in the VERY near future I am able to take a position that better suits my needs and one that allows me to feel appreciated.

Bloody Marries: are great every now and then, but be forewarned...if you purchase one at the O'Hare Bar and grill in Chicago...they are $13 a piece. Take it easy.

The Library: I love this place. I have spent a lot of time there over the past few weeks and have felt better because of it. I finally finished "After All", the biography of Mary Tyler Moore and loved it. She had a fairly tragic life and pulled through. Whoda thunk it. I have now purchased and started reading "Lake Woebegone Days" by Mr. Garrison Keillor. I love his work on NPR's A Prairie Home Companion and his comedy is intelligent. I think I'll like this book.

I have a lot of other stuff going on right now, but I'll just sum that up real quick.
I'm Painting again.
I am determined to reach my weight goal
I am making plans to outfit my backyard for great Summer Parties...you are invited.

I love you all. Seriously.

The Career Change (Part 4)

Well...after close to three weeks of silence and un-returned phone calls and e-mails, my career advisor called last night...and I missed the call! He was trying to get our schedules together so that we can have a constructive conference call and discuss my immediate options and long-term growth goals. It is encouraging that progress is being made, even if it is at the pace of an autistic snail with a broken shell and a slime deficiency. Progress none the less! My goal is to be in a new career by April. I think I may have previously said March, but the lack of communication lead to an unforeseen delay in the plans.

This weekend my brother and his wife will be in town and I always love seeing them. My brother and I and one of our friends are going to spend tomorrow morning and afternoon playing disc-golf and maybe having a little lunch. It'll be sweet.

In general I am not a fan of cinema. I feel like spending two hours of my life watching the story of some one's fictional life is a waste. I also feel like there are very few original ideas out there right now. It seems like every major blockbuster I have seen advertised lately is either book adapted to screen play, based on a comic book or super hero, a remake of an old movie, or some other old story attempting to be made new. To me, I have always loved the idea of creative writing and I just don't see much of it anymore.

I guess that's all I have to say today.

Things you should know about

So I am not exactly a trend setter or anything, but sometimes I stumble across something awesome I think people should know about. Today, I give to you a list of things I think you should know about. I hope you enjoy and appreciate.

Music:
Brett Dennen - I saw him at a music festival a few years ago and I instantly loved his super laid back, but very intelligent style. Great lyrics and a vibe that just puts me in a great mood. Check out his myspace and listen to my favorite track "Ain't No Reason". Amazing.

Amy Ivey - She is a local Austin artist who has a cool jazz style to her. She is real low key but she has this real classy style to her voice. I dig it. Oh yeah, she is also the voice on the Reid's Cleaners Commercial.

Movies:
Standing Silent Nation - this is a documentary I have been telling people about for a few years now. It shows the current tragedy going on in North Dakota to the Lakota Sioux Nation. You will see how our government is misrepresenting us and breaking their own treaties with a sovereign nation. Not cool!

Comedy:
Steven Wright - this guy has been around for ages, but he is still hilarious. He is relatively clean in his humor as well. A very dry but witty delivery that leaves me needing a change of pants.

Brian Guttman - I went to college with this guy and then he went on to win awards like "Funniest Person in Austin" and some Comedy Central awards. His stuff is observational, but not boring like Seinfeld's stuff. It's actually funny.

Outdoors:
Disc Golf - I always thought this was kind of a lame sport...until I tried it. I love Frisbee and I love competitive sports. BAM! Disc Golf! It is a ton of fun and after you buy the discs...it's pretty much free to play...so that's awesome. Also, according to a website I found that tells you how many calories you burn in all sorts of activities...it's really good for you,too.

Hiking - If you live in Texas you have at your disposal one of the most extensive parks services out there. Lake Georgetown has tons of really great trails and it is really nice to get outside and away from all the noises of traffic and the city. Very calming...and also good for you. I like things that are good for me.

I guess that's all for this installment. Join me next time as we work towards making you life less lame!

Don't sweat the small stuff - edited

I just wrote a giant blog about how so many Christians push people away from God by pretending that every hard time that comes along is God's will or that it is to build character, but I decided not to rant on and on about it. I will sum it up with this state:

I believe that God wants us to trust him in hard time. That does not mean we have to pretend everything is ok and that it doesn't totally suck right now. And we as believers need to remember that when we are trying to comfort our friends and family as they go through hard times. Crappy days are crappy days whether you have faith or not.

Moving right along. Are all women space heaters? It is amazing to me how so many of the women I know seem always to be cold, but if you sit to close to them they radiate such July on the surface of the sun type heat that you will either have to move, or soak through your clothes. So my serious question is this: Is this something that all women have and why? Is there science behind this? It's crazy!

Two comments about the super bowl. Santonio Holmes displaying excessive celebration after the final touchdown of the game. By using the football as a prop he broke the rule and a 15 yard penalty should have been added on to the kick off on the final drive of the game. I am not sure how this got missed. It was blatant and obvious to anybody watching the game. Also, James Harrison should have been ejected from the game in the early part of the 4th quarter. He blocked a player to the ground and once the player was on the ground he held him there by his head and shoulders. Once the player got up, he pushed him to the ground again and then punched him in the side. How did he not got ejected?!

Stuff

Here's some thing I've been doing lately

-laying Madden '05 on PS2. ( I have learned that the game stops keeping score once you hit 255 in a game )
-Reading "After All" The Biography of Mary Tyler Moore. Sweet.
-Trying to eat right...which means eating breakfast. It's a good thing I work alone in the morning because for some reason slimfast shakes make me terribly gassy.
-Job searching and trying to stay positive/hopeful.

-Listening to In Rainbows by Radiohead. There are so many layers to this album.
-Watching This Old House. Yes. I really like that show.
-Trying to watch LOST. An apt title since that is exactly how I feel trying to catch up after having never watched the show. I think I'd like it if I could start from the beginning.

I guess that's all.

The Career Change ( Part 3 )

I am starting to get very frustrated* with the amount of time it is taking for my career advisor to get back with me. At this stage in the game it has drawn out to about a week from the time I e-mail or call him to the time I get a reply. Much like some of my siblings...I do NOT appreciate waiting.

Yesterday I applied for two positions. Both have appropriate schedules,benefits and the like and they also had the added bonus of allowing me to work for a good cause. One was with the YMCA of Greater Williamson County and the other was with The Caring Place. I feel like I should be hearing back from these companies very soon...but I have been wrong before. Once.

It was icy like a mother when I got up to go to work this morning. I knew it must be really cold because my dog Rovy got UNDER the covers on the bed. Not really...but it was cold.

SUPER BOWL! This year's Super Bowl is going to be awesome for two reasons: It was completely unexpected and Arizona is in it for the first time EVER. There are also some really great back stories this year. If you haven't read about Kurt Warner history in football...you should check it out. Try wikipedia. A lesser known play is Sean McHugh. In early September he was cut from the Detroit Lions. Yes. You read correctly. The worst team in the history of football Detroit Lions actually cut come one. Not just any one either. Sean got cut shortly after finding out that his lovely wife and he were to expect another child. They had also just purchased a house. And no he was unemployed, but only for about a day. The following day he was picked up by a little football team out of Pittsburgh. Yes sir! This cat goes from getting cut by the worst ever team in football to playing for a Super Bowl ring. Good story. True story.

I keep having dreams where I end up with alot of money. I am not sure if it is subconscious hoping or just weird dreams...but it sure would be nice if any of those dreams came true. Yes it would.

* I absolutely hate when people pronounce it "fustrated" or "flustrated". Terrible!

Unrealistic goals in a very real world

Today I returned to work after 3 days off. I enjoyed those three days, but I absolutely hated what I found at work when I got back. stacks of papers reprimanding our store for our short comings. What short coming you might ask. Let me tell you. Last week my store went "over hours". We used 189 hours for the week. There are three managers that each require 40 hours a week to maintain their position. That's 120 hours. There is also a policies that states that no employee is to be in the store by themselves for any reason. So how is it that we are suppose to follow the rules and not go "over hours"?!?!?! If it happens again ( and it will ) the entire management team will be written up...basically given a strike. I also found that I received a personally reprimand for not accepting a return because the item was marked down to $19.99 from it's original price of $44.00 and our policy is all items discounted 50% or more from the original price are not able to be returned or exchanged. So I refused the return only to get an -email ( a very rude one ) stating that "It's obviously not off of the ORIGINAL price, but the last price it was listed at in your store." Funny thing though...the sign says original price. When am I going to learn that in the corporate world nobody ever says what they mean and I must become psychic or risk my job. Awesome.

I just read that paragraph and it may be really lame to alot of people...but I am leaving it for the simple fact that I needed to vent.

The Super Bowl is this weekend and I am very excited.

I am praying really hard for a new job SOON!

The Career Change ( Part 2 )

Today I received the results of my career assessment. This simple personal inventory tells you what jobs you will most likely enjoy and thrive in. I really like taking personal inventory tests. Is that a job? Can I just do that? No? Ok. It was worth a shot. Anyway, some of the careers suggested didn't shock me at all and others I laughed at due to how outrageous they were. One particular suggestions really got me thinking...until the end. While looking at the list of possible career paths I found Speech Pathologist. Wow. That sounds important. So I read a bit about it and it sounded like really amazing work. In fact, I had a speech problem when I was younger ( it still shows up when I am very tired ) and went to speech therapy for a while. Maybe I would be awesome at this! So I continue to read. Great pay, regular schedule, little to no travel required, and all I have to do is get a PHD in Speech Pathology! Awesome! Needless to say I moved on to the next item of interest. I have a conference call with my career advisor next week at which time he will further explain this jumble of results I have before me and help me sort out the best and most realistic options listed.

In other news, I have the weekend off and I am very excited about this. I don't have any specific plans, but I am sure I will occupy my time in an awesome way.

This just in! Ping Pong is awesome. More to come as we receive details of just how awesome it is.

The Career Change ( Part 1 )

As you may have read, I am searching for a career in which I can utilize my education and experience more fully. I have been working with a career counselor to tidy up my resume and give it the attention I am hoping to gain from prospective employers. After I completely resume boot camp and came out strong and ready for the job field, I updated my old resume on numerous job posting sights. Almost immediately I started to receive e-mails informing me that a company had seen my resume and thought I might like to apply for a position they had opening. Usually they are pretty boring jobs and have one or two things that makes them a no go for me. For example:
Sales Manager for a Fortune 500 Company - great job in the long run but the payment is based 75% on commission and since I have a mortgage I am not down with that.
Health and Safety Trainer for the State of Texas - sounds easy enough, but requires you to be traveling 50% of the year. No dice.
I get a lot of job offers like these, but very rarely does one catch my eye ( for good OR bad reasons ) like an offer I got e-mailed yesterday. This particular offer was from the State of Texas Health and Human Services department. The job fit so much of my criteria, too! Great pay, a great set schedule, incredible benefits, and little to no travel. You may be asking your self "Geeze oh Lou! Why did he take the job?!" Well my friend, the positions I was encouraged to apply for was Progress Auditor for Sexually Violent Criminals. Now, I know most of you haven't seen my resume, but there is absolutely NOTHING on it that would make me a good candidate for this job! What must they be looking for?! I think perhaps the only criteria for this job is that you ,yourself, can not be a Sexually Violent Criminal.

As of now I have declined the offer to apply for this position, but I was gracious about it. When I receive job offers like this one it reminds me...maybe selling jeans isn't so bad.

Cheers!

The President

Yes, today is inauguration day. This past week has been the most coverage that a presidential inauguration has ever received. Hours upon hours of celebrity news casters explaining just why Obama is going to be the so great and why it is that his presidency is So important. All of this talk and hype about this man has been very off-putting and confusing to me. I was raised in a home race was never an issue. Racism was a sin like lying, stealing, cheating, or anything else. I feel as though a lot of what I am hearing and seeing in this excitement about our new president is racism. Only yesterday did we celebrate the life of man that worked so hard to help push our society to a point at which we would all have learned "not to judge a man by the color of his skin but rather the content of his character" and yet so many people wanted so badly to have "a black president". Is that not a judgement based on the color of his skin? His character should be put to question until it is proven as should and has been the true heart of all past presidents. America wants to give it's self a big pat on the back and say "Look! Equality! A black man is our president!" But until we pay no mind what race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation a person is we have not experienced true equality. To me, this is a hollow victory. A surface win.

I want to be very clear that I feel a duty to pray for the president no matter who they are. Also, let us be clear that I do not have anything against Mr. President. I am simply dismayed that our country STILL doesn't understand what it means for racism to be abolished.


In other news, I have been playing alot of disc golf lately and loving it. It's so great to be outside and not sitting in front of a TV or Computer. It's nice not to be a loser. Yep...I totally said that. If you spend all your free time playing video games and watching TV or movies and not going out and experiencing what is outside of your home...I think you are losing out...there by making you a loser. Logic!

If you want to come play disc golf or do anything else outside* drop me a line and let me know. I am down!

*all activities must be legal and not involve nudity or ferocious animals.

Change

No matter your age, your race, your income level, or any other variable, every one must drink the bitter sweet concoction of change. Right now it seems like every one I know is going through a major change in their life. Job changes, church changes, locations changes, relationship changes are all happening right now. For most of us change brings on a dose of stress or worry. I struggle to keep in mind that 99% of the time worrying and feeling stress over a situation will not affect the outcome of said situation. So, for myself and any one else who reads this I would like to share with you something I once read. "Be anxious for nothing, but with prayer and supplication make your requests known to God." I am not a great Bible scholar and I can't tell you where that verse can be found, but for me...the address makes no different. If you will excuse my rough paraphrase, I feel as though this is good saying "Look, you can do absolutely nothing about this situation, so settle down and trust me. I got this." I'm workin on it.

I still really want a boat. My little brother and I have talked about goin halves on one, but nothing has fit the bill thus far.

Today marks the first day of my diet and exercise plan. While I don't think it's ok to complain about the things you can't change, it is simply unforgivable to whine about those that you can. Ergo...I will change what I don't like. Dig it?

Both of the teams I was routing for in the AFC and NFC championships made it to the super bowl. I would now like to make a big point about a controversial subject. To those of you who claim that NCAA football needs to go to a play off system because that way the best teams would play each other for the championship...take a second look! The Arizona Cardinals will be playing the Pittsburgh Stealers for the National Championship. Still think a play off system allows for the best to play the best in the championship? Nope.

Tomorrow, the 44 president of the United States will take office. God bless him and God bless America.

I don't get it

I am 26 years old and I have been told countless times that you can't judge a book by it's cover and other things along that line, but somehow I always end up being shocked and offended when I find out some one I thought was a good person is involved in some terrible activity! ( That was a run on sentence)

My job search is gaining steam. I have now perfected my resume and cover letter and started a contacts list. This list was built primarily by the career counselor at my Alma Mater and most of the employers are Alumni. That seems like a step in the right direction. Not only do I feel that I have the skills to be a valuable member of a business team, but know that I can go into the interview already understanding that my interviewer and I have something in common will give me extra confidence. Nice.

Maybe that's all I have to say right now.

Yep.

Things going on with me

Loving my new home and really enjoying spending time getting everything "just so" and truly making it home.

Taking big steps toward getting into a career that will use my degree.

Working to meet my physical fitness and weight goals.

Playing Madden '05 on PS2 with my little brother. This is the best year of Madden for PS2 because it marks the introduction of "the hit stick" there by making it possible to completely ruin somebody while playing defense.

Playing disc golf. I am still very new to the sport, but I am starting to get it down.

Finding out from the optometrist that I do not have an infection, but that I am actually allergic to the saline solution I have been using. What a lame thing to be allergic to.

Helping a friend of mine work on a property he just purchased. We have decided we could have our own DIY show where we can instruct you on how to put up a new panel of sheet rock in a house with NOT a single level surface! Yeah...it would have to be edited.

Reading "After All" the autobiography of Mary Tyler Moore. She has always intrigued me and the book has not let me down thus far.

Scheming with my younger brother about how we might be able to get ourselves a John boat and spend every weekend chillin' on lake Georgetown. Sweet!

I guess that pretty much sums it up.

What's going on with you?

Prospects and great hope

I want every one to know that since the early part of 2003 I have been happy with my life. Alot of things have happened that made me upset or sad for a short time, but all in all I truly love my life. I have been very blessed. Lately, however, I have felt what I am called "a divine nudge" to take a step of faith and pursue a new career. Don't get me wrong, I am excited about the idea of a set schedule, weekends off, good money, and utilizing the degree I went to school to earn, but I am a man who hates uncertainty. I have worked in retail for 10 years. There is no aspect of this business I do not know, and at the risk of sounding cocky, very few areas of retail in which I am not superior to most. The problem is, I am learning that God demands that we live up to our potential. That looks different for different people, but for me...it looks like pursuing a new career when I am already comfortable where I am. I honestly believe that this is what God wants, and in many ways it what I want, but I am still a bit nervous.

This weekend I get to demo some walls in a friends house and then install new dry wall. I am seriously looking forward to this!

Also, I got a sheet sander this weekend and it is awesome. I sanded down this old trunk and painted it blue and we are going to use it for extra seating and storage in our new back yard. HECK YES!

Very excited.

Lists

So, I really like lists of things. Top 5 lists are probably my favorite lists because they are challenging. It's either tough to come up with five items, or difficult to limit the list to five...either way it's a fun challenge. Here are a couple of my top five lists.

Top 5 Favorite Books
Me Talk Pretty Someday - David Sedaris
The Picture of Dorian Grey - Oscar Wilde
The Giver - Lois Lowry
Heart Breaking Work of a Staggering Genius - Dave Eggers
To Kill A Mocking Bird - Harper Lee

Top 5 Favorite Movies
High Fidelity
Snatch
Saving Private Ryan
The Bourne Identity
Shawshank Redemption

Top 5 Favorite Memories of 2008
My wedding day
Headlining Stubb's on Saturday Night
My Brothers wedding
Closing on our new home
Christmas Eve with the family

Top 5 Places I'd like to go on Vacation
New Mexico
Ireland
Colorado
England
Maine

So, those are some of my lists. Enjoy them and then write your own and posts them as a comment.