I am still alive...

"Dani California" - The Red Hot Chili Peppers

...for anyone that gives a rat's behind.

Is anyone as excited as I am about the release of Stadium Arcadium from RHCP? For as long as these guys have been putting out the music, and for as many trials and tribulaitons as they have been through, they are still one of the most kick-ass bands out there.

Speaking of kick-ass, I am on a BIG Rage Against The Machine kick these days. I realize they haven't put anything out for 5 years or so, and that Audioslave is putting our great music now, but there is just something about RATM - I think it is because I started working out again now that I am a few months out of hip replacement surgery, and they are, without a doubt, a great band to listen to when you are on the elliptical for 30 minutes.

Either Chris or Katharine should win this year's American Idol - if not, something is amiss!

Katrina

"Amazing Grace" - John Newton, 1779

We have been quick to act when disaster has struck elsewhere in the world - we best be faster when it is our own countrymen and women that are suffering. There is no reason why the government should not throw every possible resource at the devestation along the gulf coast.

Our countrymen and women need your financial support - please give to a reputable organization, such as The American Red Cross. Unfortunately, we need to be wary of people looking to take advantage of this situation, so please be careful as to who you donate to.

These people also need our prayers. Pray for their safety, their mental and physical well being, the children...for those that lost everything they owned, or worse yet, their lives...for a quick and vibrant recovery of the entire affected area, and for the lifes of those affected.

The words of Amazing Grace were written by John Newton in a time of great despair. The Lord will be with those who believe - be strong and have much faith, regardless of the circumstances.

Amazing grace!
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be
As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail
And mortal life shall cease
I shall possess, within the veil
A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow
The sun forbear to shine
But God, Who called me here below
Shall be forever mine.

When we’ve been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.

It sucks

"Wrecking Hotel Rooms" - MxPx

I can't believe the last time I wrote anything was in May, and it was about American Idol - I am such a slacker. But I digress...

What prompted me to get back on the blog horse? We are getting a new vacuum cleaner today. Not just any vacuum cleaner, but a Dyson DC 14 Animal. Oooooooooooooh. I never thought I'd see the day where I would shell out over $400 for a friggin' vacuum cleaner. It would have been almost $600, including taxes, were it not for my E-Baying prowess - I have become quite the E-Bayer as of late, and am sure I will be writing about it some day. I love E-Bay. But I digress...

$400 for a friggin' vacuum cleaner? But it never loses suction - ever. According to the Dyson site, any other vacuum cleaner will lose up to 50% suction after picking up just a few ounces of dirt and dust. And the model we are buying is specially designed to pick up pet hair, which there is plenty of in our home with a yellow lab having the run of the place. And it is a pretty cobalt blue color. Did I mention it never loses suction, ever?

Okay, even after using the above to convince myself that this was a good purchase, I still can't do it. I cannot believe I paid over $400 for a friggin' vacuum. Wait, yes I can - my wife told me to buy one. She gets what she wants. All of the time. But I digress...

My way

"Blue Jeans" - Silvertide

Glad to see America has voted, and that America sees it my way. I have been saying it will come down to Bo and Carrie even before they picked the final 12, and I was right - yay me!

How about Bo not only singing a song a capella, but pulling out a bluesy number from a late 80's/early 90's metal band, Badlands (the song was called "In A Dream," and is Track 12 on their album Voodoo Highway)? It was sweet, indeed.

Carrie will get a record contract from someone in Nashville regardless of what happens next week, and Clive Davis said on Tuesday night that he couldn't wait to make a record with Bo - but let's just hope Bo wins, as it will go completely against all that the previous Idol winners have been. And we need it!

Pentecost Grid Blog 2005

In an effort to spread the word in our own way, I'm posting about Pentecost as part of the Pentecost Grid Blog 2005.

What is Pentecost?

For devout Christians, this feast celebrates the day when the Holy Spirit descended among the followers of Jesus, allowing them to communicate with each other even though they didn't know each other's native language. This is the "speaking in tongues" referred to in Acts 2:1 and celebrated today on the seventh Sunday after Easter. In the early church, the entire 50-day period following Easter was known as Pentecost, but today it is restricted to just a single day.

When the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues, like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2.1)

We should all be thankful that the Holy Spirit did descend upon us, and is there to guide us back to Him and towards righteousness when we become misguided, delusional, or, per the title of my blog, "outta whack." We should be thankful that no matter who we are, where we come from, what language we speak, etc., the Holy Spirit flows through all of us and is there to help give us community. Given we are all sinners, it is a blessing "she" is there to show us the way home. I say "she" as my wife explained to me that the Holy Spirit is God's feminine side - I would have never thought it that way, but it makes sense if you listen to my wife tell me Susie's explanation of it - always mixing things up, aren't you Susie?

At Last

"Down In It" - Magna-Fi

Ahhh....the smell of defeat has never been so wonderful to the Idol addict I am. Scott finally went down - about freakin' time, ain't it?

It still amazes me that the boy made it this far - he either has a lot of folks from Cleveland dialing in, or has a lot of people voting for him to irritate Simon, who wanted Scott gone from the get go - and made it no secret pretty much every show.

He will make a nice chunk of cash off of the Idol tour this summer, then I am not so sure we will ever hear too much from this one again. He doesn't have "it," and it's about 14:56 in his fifteen minutes.

Now if the populace can be intelligent enough to boot the twink next week, all will be well in the Idol world again.

Dios Mio!

"Mexican Radio" - Wall of Voodoo

I was watching the news the other night, and saw a group of Latinos protesting the Maryland DMV because they were being denied licenses. Apparently they believed that their simply being in this country, albeit illegally, gave them the right to have a license. Seems to me that having a license is a privilege earned, not a constitutional right - even for citizens of this country.

Now I am not a prejudiced person by any means - I try to love everyone and give everyone the benefit of the doubt as I have been instructed to do by God. Sometimes, however, certain things about a person or group of people will piss me off - enough so that I have to rant about it - so here is the topic for the blog du jour.

The Latino community in the Metropolitan Washington, DC community is over 500,000, expected to be more than 1,000,000 by 2010. It is estimated by some that more than 50% are here illegally, although that seems a little high. Their presence has certainly permeated the entire regional persona, which is not a bad thing at all. What is bad, however, is what the folks that are here illegally are doing to bring our government processes and finances to a screeching halt. Perhaps one should try the following to illustrate what this would look like if it occurred elsewhere - Mexico, for example.

Try to:

- Enter Mexico illegally. Ignore immigration quotas, visas, international law, and all that nonsense.
- Once there, demand that the local government provide free medical care for you and your entire family.
- Demand that the federal government provide retirement benefits for your elderly parents.
- Procreate abundantly.
- Demand that the Mexican school system provide schooling for all your children.
- Speak only English at home and in public and insist that your children do the same.
- Demand classes on American culture in the Mexican school system.
- Demand bilingual nurses and doctors.
- Demand free bilingual local government forms, bulletins, etc.
- Deflect any criticism of this irresponsible behavior with, "It is a cultural United States thing. You would not understand."
- Keep your American identity strong. Fly Old Glory from your rooftop; proudly display it in your front window and on your car bumper.
- Demand a local Mexican driver's license.
- Use your Mexican driver's license to apply for other legal rights and to legitimize your illegal presence in Mexico.
- Demand that the Mexican driver's license be acceptable documentation for voter registration.
- Insist that local Mexican law enforcement teach English to all its officers.
- Insist that you should not have to pay taxes, because you are not a Mexican citizen and are only there "temporarily."

Good luck! You'll be demanding for the rest of time or soon be in jail. It will never happen. It will not happen in Mexico or any other country in the world. The only place such things happen is right here... in the land of the gullible and the home of the naive.