Nerdos iuvat fortuna

New blog

2010-01-12T23:14:00.001-05:00

Check out my new blog at jasontiearney.wordpress.com

My George Lucas Manifesto

2010-01-06T23:42:00.003-05:00

George Lucas appeared just last night on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, which seems to be the main source of news for my generation and younger these days. Lucas fielded some sticky questions about his creativity and fan reaction to his more recent work. Although his answers were somewhat vague, they caused a renewed flurry of anti-George Lucas fervor on countless nerd sites. Ever since the release of the Phantom Menace in 1999, Lucas has been the brunt of incessant complaints, which sometimes border on frightening threats to the man's personal safety.

I just want to come out and say that I'm sick and tired of it. As hard as I try to avoid sites with forums where internet users type out (in their mothers' basements probably) the most abusive insults towards Lucas they can think of, I usually end up reading at least one comment after I finish the article I'm interested in. That one comment then leads to another and another until I'm mad at all the haters and at myself for getting dragged into the conversation.

My main issue is with people who feel the need to bash George Lucas because he ruined their lives by making this movie or that movie. First, I want to ask them if they have ever tried writing a story, transferring it to a script, and then actually filming a movie. Then, I want to secretly find out how often they watch the Prequels because I'm pretty sure that behind all their big talk on internet forums, they actually enjoyed the movies for the most part. But, since it is cool to hate with a destructive passion anything that George Lucas has done in the past 10 years, I better keep quiet that I actually, maybe, kind of enjoyed the Prequels.

So please, I'm calling all you wanna-be haters out there to grow up and admit that George Lucas has not ruined your life and does not deserve to be killed in numerous creative ways. Clearly, your hatred for him is a symptom of some other problem in your life. Deal with it. Even though I didn't love everything about the Prequels or the new Indiana Jones movie, I will forever go down as a staunch defender of the Man in Flannel. The Force will always be with George Lucas.

Nerd-check

2009-07-28T09:32:00.002-05:00

Sometimes you get a hole in your shirt or pants and it starts to fray a little. In order to stop the hole from getting larger or out of control, you use something that stops it and keeps it in check. Perhaps something like fray-check. I've discovered that this same principle transfers to nerds. If you don't have something to keep your nerdy-ness in check, it quickly grows out of control.

I have seen symptoms of this in my own life, which has led me to question the reasons for its occurrence. I think I have found the answer. I have always been a nerd, but it has always shown in varying degrees. In high school and college I kept a peer group of people who did not necessarily share all of my interests. Thus, there was some pressure to not be the overly nerdy guy and maintain some "cool" image. Now my peer group consists of my wife, who doesn't need me to be cool to accept me, and my graduate school colleagues, who all share my same nerdy interests. Without a "normal" peer group to keep me in check I walk the fine line between normalcy and being lost in the space-time continuum.

So the secret to maintaining your coolness without sacrificing your true self is a diverse peer group. If you hang out with someone who wouldn't give half a penny to know about the next Iron Man movie, that same person will keep you honest when you try to spout off about a recent internet rumor or start your own religion based on your favorite movie. Plus, you might even be the cool guy/girl at a party (well, maybe that's going a little too far). Keep some nerd-check in your repertoire and you'll never go out of control again.

Harry Potter and the Curse of Acceptable Nerd-dom

2009-06-24T14:42:00.006-05:00

The Harry Potter franchise has flourished under a period of prosperity and acceptance in pop culture for several years now. The books are eagerly read by all ages, and the movies have been fairly well-received by the general movie-going public. In addition, a Harry Potter Theme Park is supposed to open next year at Universal Studios in Orlando, FL so that everyone can experience the world of Harry Potter for themselves. This weekend we are going to a Harry Potter museum exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. All this hoopla for something that is so inherently nerdy at its core? Wizards, monsters, and magic? What about Harry Potter makes it so culturally acceptable to get your geek on?

I'm not complaining that it's acceptable to be a big Harry Potter fan because I jumped on the bandwagon about four years ago, but I also wonder what the future of Harry Potter fandom will look like. If other big-time nerd franchises are any indication, then I worry that Harry Potter's fate may be worse than facing Voldemort. Star Wars was initially a pop culture phenomenon before it digressed into the realm of pocket protectors and boys who can't move out of the garage. Even Star Trek had its heyday, although it has suffered a fate worse than its Wars counterpart (perhaps J.J. Abrams has breathed some new life into the series, however). Is Harry heading down that same path through the Forbidden Forest of irrelevant pop culture? I tend to think that it won't as long as it continues to stay relevant. Part of Star Wars' problem was that it failed to produce anything new and relevant for a new generation until recently. J.K. Rowling has been able to walk the fine line between generational relevance and nostalgia so far, only time will tell if she, and Harry with her, can continue for many more generations.

I, for one, will really enjoy my slice of nerd-dom this weekend at the Harry Potter exhibit. Harry Potter and a museum, it doesn't get much better for a big nerd!

Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings

2009-06-15T20:13:00.003-05:00

I got my copy of the new Indiana Jones game for the Wii this week and have spent some time playing it this week. I thought I'd give a little review of it for the few of you who might actually be interested in it.

The idea of playing as Indiana Jones with Wii motion controls is quite appealing to a drooling fanboy. The potential for throwing a good punch and cracking the whip with your Wii-mote was enough to make me pre-order it. In some ways, the game achieved the potential and in others not.

First, the primary single-player game is entirely too short. If I really wanted to I could have beaten the game in one day. There are a fair amount of unlockables, so there is some reason to return to the game a couple times. The story is pretty good and feels very cinematic, although I would have liked a few more cutscenes to fill in the story. Sometimes there were some holes in the story because there wasn't a cutscene to fill in a little gap. The gameplay can be hit-or-miss and is generally not very challenging. The game guides you through the actions you need to do for the most part, but that does help make the game feel more cinematic. The fighting is probably the most enjoyable part of the game, although sometimes the motion controls don't quite respond how you like.

The extras are pretty decent. There's a co-op mode where you can play a separate story as Indy and Henry together, but I haven't tried it yet because I don't have anyone to play it with. There are a couple other multiplayer options which I haven't tried either, including tank and biplane fighting arenas. Probably the best extra is the inclusion of the original PC game Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. This was one of the greatest PC adventure games ever. So, if you're a big Indy fan, you'll enjoy the game despite some of its failings, especially with the addition of the Fate of Atlantis.

10 years of The Phantom Menace

2009-05-29T22:26:00.002-05:00

Ten years ago last week, Star Wars appeared on the big screen after an absence of 16 years. The anticipation for the movie was unprecedented in the history of film. Fans of the original movies in the theaters awaited the movie as eagerly as their children who had grown up watching the movies on VHS. And the movie wasn't anticipated just in America. Fans all over the world eagerly awaited the movie event of the century. It was truly a cross-generation, cross-culture experience.

The anticipation and excitement for the film can't be denied, but the ultimate reaction after the film was less enthusiastic. Regardless of opinions about the quality of the movie, I would like to take this opportunity to wax nostalgic about where I was when the Phantom Menace first hit theaters. At the time, I had a friend from church who worked at a local movie theater, and he had the opportunity to go to an early employee screening. Technically, he was only allowed to take one family member with him, so I went as his brother ("in Christ"). The showing was at about 7 PM on the Tuesday night before release day on Wednesday, so the best part was leaving the theater at 9:30 with everyone lined up in costumes waiting for the midnight show. I personally enjoyed the movie despite some of its weaknesses, and I think I enjoy it even more now, if for no other reason than nostalgia.

Does anyone else have any good stories about where they were in 1999 when the Phantom Menace hit theaters?

Conversation Piece T-shirts

2009-05-21T13:21:00.002-05:00

The other day at the grocery store I got into a conversation about Norse mythology with the bagger. The conversation began because of the Viking longship t-shirt I got on our cruise to Oslo a couple years ago. The event got me thinking about t-shirts that inspire conversation and how nerds often have a large repertoire of these kinds of t-shirts. In addition, these t-shirts function like nerd beacons and often inspire shouts of appreciation or jealousy from other nerds.

I know that when I am out and about and I see someone wearing a particularly cool Star Wars t-shirt, I just want to go and start a conversation with that person and become lifelong friends. I often get comments of this sort about my own Short Round t-shirt. There is a certain satisfaction in knowing that a mere t-shirt can bring together people across ages and cultures and inspire illuminating conversations about Norse mythology or which Marvel comic character is the best.

Conversation piece t-shirts, however, are not necessarily restricted to nerds. My cousin recently pointed out a link to a finely-crafted "wolves howling at the moon" t-shirt on Amazon. I'm sure everyone has seen a shirt like that at some point in their lives. So, do you have any conversation piece shirts? I'll even open it up to other sorts of garments beyond t-shirts. Perhaps you have a lovely sweatshirt or sweater that makes people wax particularly eloquent. I'm interested to hear your stories.

Podcast Extravaganza

2009-05-13T14:10:00.004-05:00

Although I abandoned my series of podcast blogs several months ago, I can't go without mentioning my two favorite podcasts of all. Appropriately, they fit under the umbrella of nerd-dom.

1. The Indy-Cast: Last year, when the new Indiana Jones movie came out I discovered this podcast while clicking around on iTunes. I listened to all the back episodes and quickly caught up and have been listening weekly ever since. The host, Ed Dolista, has an obvious passion for Indiana Jones, which makes the podcast especially fun to listen to. Even when Indiana Jones news is a bit slim, Ed still finds ways to make the podcast entertaining and informative. I especially enjoy the interviews in Club Obi-Wan and the collecting news.

2. The Force-Cast: I heard about the Force-Cast through the Indy-Cast and decided to check it out. I was immediately hooked, and have been listening for about a year now. During this time, one of the hosts has changed, but the current hosts, Jason and Jimmy Mac do a fantastic job. Their sense of humor makes the show feel shorter than it is and provides me with laugh out loud moments on the bus ride into campus (particularly during the Billy Dee quote of the week segment). In addition, if a weekly podcast isn't enough for you, Jimmy Mac and Jason produce micro-casts fairly frequently which include interviews and music specials. There is always something to listen to on the Force-Cast. Unfortunately, I am not able to participate in the online chat or listen live because of my busy grad school schedule, but that does not make the regular shows any less enjoyable. I admit that the Force-Cast has revived my Star Wars fandom to a point that it's never been before (perhaps to the chagrin of my wife!).

So, if you are a fan of either Star Wars or Indiana Jones, I can't recommend these podcasts enough. Check out www.theforce.net/podcast for links and info about either podcast or subscribe through iTunes. You won't be disappointed!

End of the semester summer reading checklist

2009-05-07T10:30:00.004-05:00

Any self-respecting nerd eagerly awaits the end of the semester and the ensuing free time for reading. This sudden new-found freedom, however, can be a little overwhelming so I've put together a checklist of the essentials to survive the summer reading madness. Proceed with caution.

1. Pen/Pencil-This is crucial for writing down a list of books to read and their call numbers once you hit the library. A pencil may work best because then you can erase call numbers and add more in their place, thus helping the environment at the same time.

2. Some sort of handheld electronic device-If you're really nerdy and really want to be environmentally friendly, you can use an iPhone/iPod or Blackberry to keep electronic notes for yourself. This method cuts out any use of paper whatsoever. All you have to do is type in the names of books and then delete and retype once you've finished and are ready to start a new one.

3. Library card-You don't have to buy everything on Amazon. You can read books for free. That's why we have these wonderful things called libraries. Check one out: it's essential for good summer reading.

4. A bookbag-This bag can be of any size or shape, but the bigger the better. Remember: the bigger your bag, the more books you can fit in it, which means more summer reading pleasure. Caution: be careful about the weight of the books if you do use a bigger bag. You don't want to ruin your shoulder when you can just return to the library the next week and get a few more books.

5. A social networking site-Join a site like facebook or Goodreads because it allows you to share with the world what you are reading at any given moment. It is crucial that your friends can see what great literary tastes you have and that you read 200 books in one summer. Talk about bragging rights.

6. At least one book in a foreign language-The more obscure the language, the better. When you can return to school (or work) in the fall and say that you read an ancient Nordic epic, in the original language, you will be the talk of the town (for better or for worse, I can't guarantee anything).

If you have these six simple items, you're summer reading will be fruitful and enjoyable. Also, people will tell you that you are a big nerd, but then you can tell them how you read more this summer than they've read in their entire lives. Take that.

Free Comic Book Day

2009-05-03T16:03:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was my first experience of Free Comic Book Day. While it's a national holiday to some, others might ask what a comic book even is. I had never been to our local comic shop, Vintage Phoenix, but I figured this was as good a day as any to start. Mainly, I had my eye on a Star Wars comic and a short Indiana Jones comic that was part of a sampler collection. The experience was everything I hoped for and more. I got my four free comics, which I promptly read and which were really not all that good, but that's not really the purpose of Free Comic Book Day. The purpose is to get people interested in comics. I saw heart-warming scenes of fathers introducing their young sons to the world of comic books and grandfathers looking for that new issue of the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. I think I particularly associate grandfathers with Spider-Man because that's what my grandpa had in the bathroom magazine rack.

Most importantly, however, I witnessed nerd-dom at its finest. I couldn't help but overhear various conversations, and one 0f my favorite lines was "Did you know that people didn't know that Tony Stark is Iron Man?" Another conversation, the same people I believe, dealt with the greater intricacies of why GI Joes and Transformers are so often combined. The best part about these conversations was that they had nothing to do with the real world. For a short while on a Saturday morning, people could go to their local comic book shop, enter a new world, and forget for a little while about the chores they had to do later that day. You just can't replicate that.

Unfortunately, I can't speak for these people's conversations outside of the comic book shop. That's an entirely different topic.

New direction

2009-04-25T19:23:00.003-05:00

Once again, I have revamped my blog. I know, it seems like I can never decide what I want to do with this stupid thing, but I had a moment of (momentary?) inspiration. Obviously, the whole "constancy" thing wasn't working out for me. I suppose when I mandate myself to a certain habit, it only breeds failure and disappointment. My most recent post, however, reminded me of how much of a nerd I really am and how amusing a blog about my nerd-dom and other's nerd-dom might potentially be. I then had to decide on a suitably nerdy title for the blog. As you might have guessed, it didn't take much nerd power to come up with a good one. What better place for me to turn than to the lyric language of Latin. Some of you may be familiar with the phrase "fortune favors the bold," which is rendered in Latin as "Fortes iuvat fortuna." So, for a blog about nerds and nerdiness all I had to do was subtract "the bold" and add my new coinage for "the nerds." Thus, my new title.

I will be making no promises about the consistency or regularity of this site. Apparently, that doesn't work for me. I will promise some amusing (or occasionally not-so-amusing) posts about my own nerd-dom and greater nerd-dom in general. That's the best I can do.

Immunity Idol

2009-04-23T21:32:00.004-05:00

So I was finally motivated to write a blog post after many months parched by the desert of graduate school. Unfortunately, grad school tends to suck any sort of normalness out of life.

I recently made a purchase of a particular collectible (aka Big-boy toy) I had been eyeing for quite a while. Many of you may recognize this collectible as a replica of the famous idol from the beginning of perhaps the greatest movie ever, Raiders of the Lost Ark. The idol is sculpted into a small pen/pencil holder for the perfect desk accessory. As I am always on the lookout for items to put in my future classroom, how could I pass up a pencil cup that would call to mind my favorite movie every day? Obviously I couldn't.

Unfortunately, there was a bit of a problem with the idol. If you look closely, there is a child coming out of the its nether regions, which thus labels the figurine as a fertility idol. Right now, however, we do not want anything in our house with the name "fertility" in any way attached to it. My desire for the item won out though when we came up with a suitable solution. The solution: The idol will forever be known in our house as an immunity idol, not a fertility idol. How better to ward off unwanted fertility by making sure that the idol represents everything opposed to fertility? So, from now on it's an immunity idol, and the child down there is just playing hide and seek.

These Podcasts are Crazy!

2008-11-02T20:39:00.002-05:00

For the first installment of the Podcast Pick of the Week, I feel obliged to give props to my good friends at the podcast "These People are Crazy." This is not a professionally produced podcast, but it has charm and wit, not to mention a lot of laughs. The episodes are not too long, so they are perfect for a nice jog or walk or ride on the bus. The show's host/hosts have a distinct brand of humor, so if you like sarcasm and jokes bordering on the absurd, this podcast is perfect. A couple of my favorite regular segments include "Ask Alan" and "We review a movie we haven't seen." I would try to explain them here but really the only way to do them justice is to have a listen. Although there are not any recent episodes, there are enough old ones to keep you entertained for a while.

To find "These People are Crazy" you can do a search in iTunes for it or follow the link to "Tyler" on my blog and you will find all the episodes linked on his page. That's all for this week's Podcast Pick of the Week. Happy Listening!

Let's Podcast

2008-10-21T21:06:00.003-05:00

Is it a sign that you're getting older when you would rather hear someone talk than listen to someone play music? Lately, I have been getting into listening to podcasts. I ride the bus to and from school everyday so I have plenty of time to make use of the many wonders of the iPod. Not all that long ago, I would never have considered doing anything other than listening to some tunes on the bus to while away the time. Since I've started grad school, however, listening to music just doesn't satisfy me most days. I have a few podcasts that I listen to regularly, and I now feel like I'm missing out if I don't have a new podcast downloaded. I find myself searching iTunes for more podcasts I might be interested in, and usually I find at least one new one every search. I've even found free audiobooks in the form of podcasts, which is a little taste of heaven for me. It might help that I'm in to geeky things like Star Wars and the history of Rome, but there are podcasts of all shapes and sizes. Maybe someday I could even do my own podcast, although I'm not entirely sure what it would be about. Maybe a Latin "lesson of the day." Everyone tells me that I should do radio work.

So, in honor of my newfound love for podcasts, I will try over the next several weeks/months to provide a post about my podcast pick of the week. Many of them will probably have little appeal to the general public, but I'll try to vary the topics. Also, if you have a favorite podcast that you would like me to spotlight, let me know and I'll give it some blogspace.

Some favorite observations about grad students

2008-09-23T21:20:00.002-05:00

I have now officially been a grad student for three weeks (going on four), and I have discovered a few important things about grad students (and yes, I am highly stereotyping):

-When you meet someone who is a little (or more likely a lot) socially awkward, they probably have a graduate degree. That's just what happens when you spend every waking hour of the day studying.

-Interaction with other grad students outside of your department is also incredibly awkward. After attending only one event sponsored by the Grad student organization, I vowed never to attend another. Unless you're getting a degree in a frilly subject like journalism, you will never belong or feel comfortable in one of these outings.

-Topics of conversation range from your subject to your subject. But sometimes comic books and genre movies get thrown in there too.

-Grad students generally pretend that they know a lot more than they actually do. As long as you put on a good face for the professor and kind of know what you're talking about, you should be good.

-Failing your undergrads is often entirely unintentional (for some TA's), although the fact that you have the ability is appealing.

-Any chance to show off your status as a grad student will be taken, even if that means taking the elevator to the second or third floor because you have a key and the undergrads don't.

As the semester progresses I may find more interesting tidbits to post, but it's getting harder and harder to talk or write about anything outside of my field.

Taking a bite out of Apple

2008-09-01T11:19:00.002-05:00

We've finally settled into our new home in Indiana and tomorrow is the first day of classes. The next 2-3 years will involve almost nothing but class and homework. So, in honor of a new phase in our lives we decided to join the growing computer trend. We got a Macbook. My laptop was about 6 years old and no longer able to hold a charge more than 2 minutes, and we had long been eyeing a Macbook. So far, I am a bit overwhelmed by everything there is to know and do on a Mac. I guess I'm not the creative type who really takes advantage of all the video, picture, audio, etc. applications. I am, however, impressed with the ease of use and the general functionality. I don't have silly error messages popping up all the time telling me that a program is not responding or the computer just deciding not to properly shut down. Some of my favorite aspects of the Mac are:

-The overall appearance and design; very easy on the eyes

-Fantastic built-in wireless range

-Easy keyboard commands to do items commonly associated with mouse clicking

-The "Dock" on the bottom which makes it easy to access commonly used applications

Goodnight Bush-Bashers

2008-07-23T19:34:00.002-05:00

I normally don't venture into politics here. Mainly, I'm just not that interested in the subject, and I find fancy-talking politicians a waste of my time. I'm going to make an exception for this post because I've become more and more appalled by recent trends.

As some of you know, I worked part-time at an independent bookshop this past year, and in the past month or so I've noticed that at least 3 or 4 of the top nonfiction bestsellers are consistently Bush-bashing books. One of the recent books is a parody of the famous children's book "Goodnight Moon" called "Goodnight Bush." Each page of the book says goodnight to some "failed" aspect of the Bush administration. Now, I appreciate a well-done parody, but I felt this one crossed the line. Moreover, I found this book to be a symptom of the increasingly accepted attitude of the populace.

The main question this book and others raised for me is: When did it become not only acceptable but encouraged to so publicly and ruthlessly malign a human being based on his/her decisions? I understand that many people disagree with most of Bush's policy, and I even encourage disagreement because it can lead to dialog, which then leads to progress and growth. But how can progress and growth occur when dialog is not possible because disagreement has changed from mere disagreement to hateful spite? It seems to me that the current political and cultural climate has made exactly that switch from mere political disagreement to bitter hatred. As a Christ follower, I feel that maligning another person, no matter what their beliefs, is morally reprehensible.

Ultimately, I don't believe that people should stop disagreeing with President Bush. It's only natural to butt heads with someone, especially when he/she has such an opposing viewpoint. I don't believe, however, that the proper response to disagreement is to do exactly what many people do now: Bite back with harsh, hateful criticism. This response only hurts our nation.

Indy 4 follow-up

2008-07-21T15:30:00.002-05:00

As a follow up to my previous post about Indy 4, I just wanted to say that if you were a little skeptical after a first viewing, go see it again! I saw it for the second time recently and it really was much better (and I even really enjoyed it the first time). I didn't have to think about pre-conceived expectations or ideas of what it should have been like. Give it a second try!

Is there such a thing as too nice?

2008-06-26T15:40:00.003-05:00

The past month has been insanely busy, with traveling for weddings, working, and getting everything in order for moving. Unfortunately, blogging has been low on the priority list.

Part of the past month's craziness included trying to sell my car. We had planned on consolidating down to one car once school started in the fall, so by selling it before we moved, we would take one less thing with us. This was the first time I've ever tried to sell anything so big, so I decided to test the uncharted waters of Craigslist. I'd heard that it works pretty well, but I was skeptical. To my amazement, within a day of my initial posting, I already had about 5 inquiries, and within a week, I had 10-15 inquiries. This was the beginning of the trouble for me. When I went to meet the various prospective buyers, I immediately took a liking to some of them and the opposite to others. When the people that I liked made an offer, my miserable bargaining skills and my overnice personality wanted to give them their wish. Thankfully my wife continually encouraged me not to take the first offer. What really surprised me was how much I had a hard time calling people back when I finally sold the car. I had only met and talked to these people for no more than a half hour, yet it felt like I was delivering devastating news.

All I can say is that I did not in any way enjoy the process of selling my car, although my exchange with the final buyer was very easy and pleasant. My tendnency to be nice and accommodating to people made the process much more difficult. So, if there is such a thing as being too nice, I would probably fit the description. But then I have to wonder if that's really a bad thing...

My Thoughts on Indy 4

2008-05-26T17:08:00.003-05:00

I've been putting off this post for a few days now because I wanted to give most people a chance to see the movie over the long weekend. I imagine some still haven't seen it, but I've had so many people asking my opinion that I just couldn't wait any longer to put it down in words. I will warn the wary reader now that there may be VERY MINOR SPOILERS about the plot of the movie in this post, so if you don't want to know anything at all come back and read after you've seen it. I will try hard to be as generic as possible when it comes to plot points.

First of all, this Indiana Jones experience has been more than just the movie for me. While the movie was the culmination of the entire experience, it is still a piece of a bigger pie. I will go as far as saying that the presence of Indiana Jones in pop culture these last few months has been exhilarating. For the first time in my life, Indy is popping up at the grocery store, on TV ads and in the toy aisles. My collector's mindset has been drooling over all the cool statues, figurines, etc. that I could add to my collection. Attending the midnight showing of the movie was the natural conclusion to all of the hype.

And fortunately, I was in no way disappointed with the movie. I, along with just about everyone else, had built up enormous amounts of expectations which no movie ever made could live up to. It's a miracle that the movie withstood all the reviews from people with unrealistic expectations. I, for my part, was entertained for the whole two hours and enjoyed seeing my favorite action hero back at it. The action was intense and, for the most part, in true Indy style. The opening sequence proved that Harrison Ford is still not only in good form but was made to play Indiana Jones.

The movie, however, had its share of faults, but none of them were any different than what's common in most action movies (clunky dialog, wooden characters, over-the-top action). There was one scene which should have been left on the cutting floor involving jungle vines and a certain sidekick (if you've seen it, you know exactly what I'm talking about). I think that much of the nit-picking leveled against this movie could have been leveled against some parts of the previous movies, so it didn't bother me. People have gotten more hyper-critical in the past twenty years.

A couple specific things I wanted to discuss: the sci-fi element of the film and the much-maligned character of Mutt. If there is one element that links the original films together it is the fact that they were an homage to the Saturday-morning adventure serials of the 1930's. If the 30's element had been maintained in Indy 4, it would've been a little anachronistic. In order to maintain the spirit of the originals, an Indy movie set in the 50's would have to pay homage to the popular fare of the 50's: science-fiction. In this respect, I think Indy 4 perfectly maintained an important element of the series while still giving us the adventure thrills we expect. I know many will disagree with me, but that's ok. I'm open to the dialog. I was uncertain what I thought after I first saw it as well. My other point of interest is the relationship of Indy and his sidekick Mutt. I thought that the chemistry between these two was one of the highlights of the movie, and Shia LaBeouf played an outstanding character who was both interesting to watch and believable. Ford and LaBeouf could carry another movie, if there ever is one.

Well, this ended up being longer than I thought, but I've spent a lot of time thinking about the movie. I've found that the longer I'm away from my initial viewing, I find more to like about it. I will definitely be seeing it again, and the second time I won't have to worry about bloated expectations. Overall, the movie was just shy of being great, and it's better than any other adventure fare the studios have been throwing at us the past nineteen years. If adventure has a name, it must be Indiana Jones!

What's your favorite movie?

2008-05-16T14:38:00.003-05:00

I have struggled with this cosmic question for a long time. The term "favorite" carries a lot of weight for me. Something that is your favorite is exclusive and alone at the top of a list. The reason I have had such trouble with the movie question is because I, like any other self-respecting nerd, have three prominent movie franchises floating around at the top of my "favorite" list. How do I pick a favorite between Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Indiana Jones?

I was once asked whether I would choose to visit an exhibition on Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, or Indiana Jones with the catch that they were all on the same day and at the same time in three different places. I felt like I was experiencing one of those moral dilemma questions with three "morally" right options I could choose. Today, for the first time in the recorded history of my life, I will respond to that moral dilemma and rank my three favorite movie franchises with accompanying explanations. I will also rank the movies individually within their respective franchises, not for any sort of edifying reason, but purely because I like details like that and thought it would be fun. I'm interested to hear any thoughts about my rankings and how you would rank them yourself.

In third place: Star Wars
If I had responded to this question about ten years ago, I guarantee you that Star Wars would have been ranked first instead of third. Star Wars was my life when I was a kid, and nothing could top lightsabers, the Jedi, and cool space battles. While I still enjoy the Star Wars films immensely, I have found less attachment to them now. The story enlivens my imagination, but I find the characters less believable than in my top two.
Individual ranking:
Return of the Jedi
A New Hope
The Empire Strikes Back
Revenge of the Sith
The Phantom Menace
Attack of the Clones

In second place: Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings series is arguably the most well-crafted set of films in my rankings. The acting, directing, cinematography, and all-around production reaches a standard of excellence attained by few other films in history. It's hard to think of the three movies separately because they blend so well together. Just as in Tolkien's original work, the movie divides one long story into three different parts. All three parts fit together well to make an incredible cinematic experience. The one thing keeping the Lord of the Rings from the top of my list is my ability to put myself in the shoes of the main characters. Although I am emotionally invested in the characters and their story throughout the films, they don't affect me in the same way as the main character in my top ranked film series.
Individual ranking:
The Return of the King
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Two Towers

And finally, in first place: Indiana Jones
No character ever to grace the sound stages of Hollywood has personally impacted my life more than Henry Jones Jr. Dr. Jones is part scholar and part thrill-seeking treasure hunter. He has a passion for antiquity and preserving the past at all costs. Most importantly, he is sometimes painfully human. Many of the characters in Star Wars and Lord of the Rings often appear superhuman in their ability, but the Man with the Hat continually ends up in tough spots and just barely gets out of them, sometimes purely through luck. I found a character I could identify with, and that is the reason why the venerable archaeologist lands the top spot in my rankings.
Individual ranking:
Raiders of the Lost Ark
The Last Crusade
Temple of Doom

There you have it. Set in proverbial stone, for now at least...

A Traveling Man

2008-05-04T17:07:00.004-05:00

As the years have gone by I've begun to realize how much traveling is part of my identity. Growing up, my parents always found opportunities to take us to as many parts of the world as they were able. My dad often traveled to France for business, and we got to tag along. Sometimes we would extend the trip and visit other countries in Europe to expand our horizons. We would also load up the old Grand Caravan nearly every summer and drive somewhere within the United States. Many times our vacations were built around the location of the annual North American Christian Convention.

My sister was quick to appreciate the value in traveling, but I for some reason rejected it. I think a large part of the reason was because I wanted to reject anything my sister found enjoyable. I have since learned the absurdity of that mindset, but at a young age it was alive and well. I also think I took it for granted. It wasn't until I left for college that I started really appreciating all of the travel experiences from my childhood. I still remember my parents filling out requests for extended absences at school because of some trip we were taking, and it was never hard to come up with a good educational reason for taking the trip. It was the cultural and educational experience that I began to fully grasp once I left my parent's home.

My memories from vacations and family trips are some of the most treasured times in my life. I have learned that I have a soul that is satisfied by living and experiencing other cultures, climates, and worldviews. A part of me will forever be a wandering spirit, curious about what life is like in a corner of the world I haven't yet visited. Nothing will ever replace the experiences my parents gave me when they opened up the world to my young, uncomprehending mind. I hope that I can do the same for my own someday.

Pro Patria

2008-04-16T12:33:00.002-05:00

If you ever want to feel a fierce pride for the place of your birth, move away. Some say that distance makes the heart grow fonder, and I would agree with that statement but take it even further. I would venture to say that distance makes the heart a fierce and proud lion.

I live very far away from my birth land right now so I have experienced this phenomenon personally. I have also, however, lived in a state bordering my home state, and I experienced the same feelings there. It's a feeling that's somewhat difficult to describe. During my formative years in Wisconsin, I appreciated the quirks and unique traits that defined the state but I never felt attached to them in the way I did after I moved away. Living in Illinois, surrounded by new quirks and traditions, I began to latch onto my cheesehead roots. And "latch" may be too weak of a word. It was more like a vice grip, holding on for dear life. Suddenly, cheese and brats became way cooler than they ever were before. The Brewers and the Packers rocketed into sports heaven (I purposefully leave out the Bucks because they are one thing about Wisconsin not worth cheering for), and the Wisconsin accent became almost endearing.

Not too long ago, a series of advertisements championed the superior quality of California dairy, and this was the first time I experienced the anger associated with wounded state pride. By this time, I was living in North Carolina and about five years removed from Wisconsin, but the ads stung stronger than if I had actually still been a resident of Wisconsin. I realized then that moving away from Wisconsin had developed in me a pride that went beyond the fondness of distance. The longer I lived away from my birth state, the more I adamantly defended its traditions and quirks and expected other people to respect and appreciate them too. In fact, I might even try to fight you if you slander my dear old cheeseheads. At least, that's how I felt about the entire state of California.

As I get ready to move across states again, I believe that my pride will only grow stronger. Although I may not live in Wisconsin again, I will always associate myself in part with its unique qualities. Recently, I even considered buying myself a cheesehead. And that was something I swore I'd never do when I lived there!

Virtual Fanatic

2008-04-06T19:26:00.002-05:00

The Dean Smith Center was filled with shouts and cheers. The band and cheerleaders led a raucous chant of "Tar-Heels" and "U-N-C." A sea of powder blue washed over the seats in anticipation of tip-off. Then the moment finally came and the game kicked into high gear. The arena was so loud you couldn't even hear the announcer. But something was missing. There were no players or coaches. There wasn't even a basketball court, just a large screen hanging from the ceiling broadcasting the Final Four game in San Antonio.

This was our last and only chance to experience the famous "Dean Dome," home of the North Carolina Tar Heels. As a part-time student the past couple years, I haven't had the fortune of being a part of the ticket lottery, so I sadly never made it to a UNC basketball game. When we found out that last night's game would be broadcast at the Dean Dome, we jumped at the chance to at least sit inside. The experience was like none I have ever had before.

If I had closed my eyes, it would have been as if I was actually at a real basketball game. The pep band was playing, the cheerleaders were cheering, and fans were screaming and clapping all around us. At first I was a little cynical about the whole experience. Why should I get so excited and cheer like there were real players when none of us had any impact on the game. It didn't take long, however, to get caught up in the spirit and start screaming along with everyone. They couldn't hear us in San Antonio, but who cared?

Unfortunately, that spirit was blasted to pieces in the first five minutes. What had started as jubilant excitement quickly free-fell to angry shouts and then to complete silence. All around the arena, people were slouched back or holding their head in their hands. It was turning into a pretty miserable experience. Fortunately, the Heels weren't going down without a fight, and at the start of the second half, we were on our feet and yelling once again. And it only got louder. As the Heels whittled Kansas' lead to four, the Dean Dome started to shake in its foundations. Everyone was out of their seats, jumping, screaming, clapping and chanting like an actual game. It didn't matter that the game was on TV, we were sure that we were going to change the course of the game while hundreds of miles away.

Despite our concerted efforts, the game ended very unfortunately, and once again the crowd whimpered like a wounded animal. People all around us were crying and cursing and just looking generally neglected. We all trudged back to our cars and made the miserable trek home, contemplating every possible "if only" situation. And I truly believe that if all of us crazy fans at the Dean Dome had been there, the game would have turned out differently.

I will never forget my experience at the famous Dean Dome, even though no real players set foot on the court. As far as I'm concerned, this experience was as close as I'll ever get to watching a real UNC basketball game, and if they had won, it would have been perfect.

Doing the Rain Dance

2008-03-19T14:12:00.002-05:00

We are currently in the midst of severe drought in North Carolina. It's one of the worst seasons of drought in the history of the state. As I was just gazing out the window from my desk, I noticed the lack of any vegetation, especially on the trees. This is the time of year when life should be budding again, but the only thing that's green is the new grass planted outside of our apartment building. Fortunately, we have had some heavy rain over the past couple of weeks, but the drought has been so severe, we're still categorized as being in severe drought, one notch below extreme drought.

The lack of life saddens me because I have always been in love with springtime. I love the new growth and the beautiful colors that God paints across the earth. There is a beautiful dogwood tree right outside of our window, which was blooming beautifully last year but has nothing yet this year. Right next to it is a tree with dried up leaves still left over from the fall and winter. Signs of life are struggling through, however, when I see a small tree or bush on the side of the road with tiny buds reaching for life.

I worry that, despite the "green" culture that thrives in our area, the recent rain will give a false sense of security and send people back to unnecessarily washing their cars and watering their lawns. When the drought was taking a serious turn for the worse last fall, residents of a local city actually complained when they had to stop watering their lawns because the drinking water reservoir was not going to last longer than three more months. I sincerely hope that they are smarter and "greener" this spring. If the green culture here doesn't get a little more serious we won't be seeing any green at all this year.

The Madness is Near

2008-03-12T15:32:00.002-05:00

March=College basketball. Once again we have arrived at the time of year when everyone goes crazy about their brackets and maybe their favorite team, but only if they picked their favorite team to win it all.

This year will be a little bittersweet for us. This is our last March Madness living in the middle of the infamous Duke-UNC rivalry, which makes even the basketball clueless fired up and shouting about calls he doesn't understand. By the end of the tournament, we will most likely have decided about our new home in the fall, and thus we will have a new team to cheer for. So what happens if our new team plays North Carolina in the tournament? I'd prefer not to answer that question and just hope it doesn't happen. I will, however, always have a soft spot in my heart for the Tar Heels when March Madness rolls around. We're not going to a new school for the sports anyway...

Red or Blue?

2008-03-04T13:34:00.006-05:00

It has been an exciting couple of weeks in the Tiearney household. Last year at this time we were grasping at straws for the next step in our life, wondering what God had in store for us. This year, we are reaping the benefits of taking the time to listen to God's voice and his gentle guiding for our life.

If you remember, I applied for grad school last year with a dismal turnout. Out of the nine schools I applied at, I received no acceptance letters. It was pretty depressing. As the application season rolled around again this year, I approached it with a cautious trepidation. Melissa and I had both decided to apply for grad school this time, so there were a lot of blocks that had to fall just right. The waiting period was just as bad this year, even though I had experienced it before. Fortunately, just over a week ago I received a phone call from the University of Illinois informing me of my acceptance, which was shortly followed by an email with a full funding package offered for the school year starting in August. I was physically shaking on the phone. Not one day later, both Melissa and I received acceptance letters from Indiana University. We're both being considered for funding, so we'll have to wait a little longer before we know anything certain. That was the best weekend I'd had in months.

As the April 15 decision deadline looms closer, we are planning a trip to visit both schools and see some family and friends while we're at it. Melissa is hoping to hear from Illinois any day now so we can further plan our visit there. God has really opened the floodgates for us this year, and it's really exciting to embark on what we feel is God's call for our lives right now.

So, the big question will come down to this: Do we choose the red pill or the blue pill?

The Second Biggest Day of My Life

2008-02-15T16:51:00.002-05:00

On May 21, 2005 I walked down the aisle towards my future wife for the biggest day of my life. I left the church as a married man to the tune of a certain theme song (and it was not Star Wars, as many people thought). Exactly three years and one day later, that theme song is returning to my life for the second biggest day in my human existence: The release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

On Thursday the first trailer was released, and if you haven't watched it yet, stop reading right now and go to www.indianajones.com and watch it. You will not only be blown away by its awesomeness, but you will get a glimpse into the man who made me the person I am today. Thanks to Indiana Jones, I discovered the world of ancient history and archaeology, which led to my interest in languages and ancient Mediterranean culture. Unfortunately, I have never been able to experience my lifelong hero/role model/icon on the big screen because I was only six when the third movie hit theaters in 1989. Thus, Indy's return to the big screen at a time of my life when I can most appreciate him is not just a big deal, it's a monumental occasion. For the first time ever, I will watch Indiana Jones in an entirely new adventure on a screen bigger than a 20-inch TV. Are you catching my excitement?? At this point it really doesn't matter whether the movie's critically acclaimed or not because I will still see it at least 3 times in the theater, including the very first midnight showing on the morning of May 22. I might have to start a savings fund for all the theater viewings and merchandise that I will be purchasing over the next few months.

If you know me, you know that I get excited about movies, but no other movie has caused such excitement, and no other movie may cause such excitement again. I will be the guy who always brings a lightsaber or wears elf ears to his favorite movies when I don the fedora and strap on the whip for the return of the greatest adventure hero in movie history and the second biggest day of my life.

Some Important Rules for Your Local Coffee Shop

2008-02-05T20:50:00.000-05:00

All of us enjoy spending time in our favorite, comfortable coffee shop. Some of us spend much more time there than we ever thought or imagined. In my time working as a barista I have developed a short list of important points of etiquette when waiting in line and ordering from your local coffee shop. These "rules" will make your barista much happier as well as everyone else in the coffee shop. So, here it goes in no particular order:

1. Never stand in front of the counter or register as if you're ready to order but are actually just wanting to talk to your friend. Save your conversation for after you order. Your barista will appreciate not having to yell at you to get your attention, and everyone piling up behind you in line won't grab you by the hair and yank you out the door.

2. Don't try to order and talk on your cell phone at the same time. You will probably end up with the wrong drink (perhaps even on purpose...) without even realizing it, and your barista will be very frustrated. Plus, openly talking on your cell phone in a very public place is just rude anyway.

3. Don't ever order "just" a latte. You are, however, allowed to order "just" a coffee. If you realized how much more time and effort goes into making a latte compared to a coffee, you would feel the same way. If you must order "just" a latte, make absolutely sure that you never order "just" a latte with a flavor shot. That requires even more time and effort from your barista. Please, just show each drink the honor and respect it deserves and understand that a lot goes on to prepare your drink while you're talking on your cell phone and chatting with your friends.

4. Avoid using Starbucks language. Thanks to Starbucks, the coffee industry has been forced into conforming to grande's and venti's. If at a loss for your local coffee shop terminology, you are always safe just saying small, medium, or large. It works every time.

5. Most importantly, be friendly. Your barista probably wakes up at the earliest hours of the morning and makes the extra effort to be friendly to you, so engage him or her in conversation. Whether it's about the dog or your snotty neighbor, people's stories are what makes being a barista so fun.

These five basic rules will transform your coffee shop experience. You will be amazed at how much happier everyone is, and especially, how much better your coffee tastes!

Summer Weddings: The Sequel

2008-01-03T20:32:00.000-05:00

Weddings come in bunches. The summer we got married we attended or were a part of 6 other weddings. It seems that everyone's brother/mother/cousin/friend/estranged relative decides to get married at the same time. When we got married, it wasn't too bad because we lived in decent driving distance from most of the weddings (except for one specific wedding that was halfway across the country and in the hottest sanctuary ever...and there were two 15-minute plus "sermonettes"). Plus, we could regift some of our trove of newly acquired items and save some money on wedding gifts. Overall, that summer was a bit exhausting but fun nonetheless.

Here I am now sitting in a similar position for this upcoming summer. Well, not quite similar. This year, we have three weddings to attend, plus at least one other that we will only attend in spirit because of another wedding scheduled on the same day. There will also be little to no driving this year because of the one thousand mile difference between us and all the weddings. I also managed to make it into all of the weddings this year including the one I can't attend. Craziness! I am incredibly honored and really excited to be a part of all these weddings, but I've decided either there's a mass conspiracy to bring us out of the hinterlands of the deep south or the reception halls are manipulating the market so that they fill up their schedules. I've also decided that I just need to purchase an airplane and set up a bedroom in it. Unfortunately, I usually fly Southwest so I'd end up with a suite over the engines next to complete strangers because I got a "C" boarding pass.

Happy Wedding Planning Friends and Family! I look forward to seeing you all.

Thanksgiving in DC

2007-12-11T21:43:00.000-05:00

I finally have a bit of a chance to talk about our vacation to DC at Thanksgiving. It already feels like forever ago, but we had a great time and took lots of great pictures. We went to a lot of museums and walked everywhere. Our first night there we got a great picture of the Washington monument right at dusk. We went to a couple Smithsonian museums, the National Gallery of Art, and the International Spy Museum. The Spy Museum was definitely worth the price of admission, especially because it was the only museum in DC we had to pay for. We spent a good portion of the day after Thanksgiving doing a walking tour of the monuments. The monuments were impressive, but the wind and cold were a bit disheartening.

We ate at lots of great little local restaurants which had been suggested by my neighbors at the John Edwards campaign, so we were able to get a feel for the hip places to hang out in DC. I think we saw just about everything you can see in a 3 day trip, and we were pretty exhausted when we got back late on Sunday night. Fortunately, the return trip was made somewhat more enjoyable by a stop at two of our all-time favorite stores: Ikea and H&M. Overall, we had a great time and really enjoyed a little break together even though it involved pain in our legs and feet for the next three days.

It's finally over!

2007-12-04T21:17:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is the last day of the semester. It's about time too. For perhaps the first time in my life I am completely burnt out on school. Normally I would be excited to go back to class in January, but right now that is the least appealing option. Really I just need a break to refresh, rejuvenate and spend time with family and friends. It's been a really long 3 1/2 months, and I'm really looking forward to seeing as many people as possible over Christmas. If you're curious about our DC Thanksgiving trip, never fear, I will post some pictures soon. Unfortunately, that last day of the semester means there are still finals left. So, I really shouldn't be spending the time to write this blog except that it keeps me from studying for those said finals.

P.S. If it wasn't already clear that we needed to move back closer to home next year, God just keeps on inspiring people who are close to us to get engaged and get married next summer. It's like He's saying, "if you don't move, you're going to pay out the wazoo for plane tickets!"

Thanks for the Memories

2007-11-11T19:15:00.000-05:00

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I have been reflecting on past Thanksgiving memories and how much they have made me appreciate Thanksgiving as a holiday. So, in honor of endless turkey and stuffing, I present my favorite Thanksgiving memories:

-H. family Thanksgivings which involved the opening of "plesents," receiving boxes, not the things inside the boxes, that were just what we always wanted, playing lots of video games, and reading knock-knock jokes at 3 AM in sleeping bags on the living room floor

-Family trips to various places when my sister and I were older and we didn't get everyone together as often. I particularly remember eating clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl for Thanksgiving dinner in San Francisco

-Who can forget Holer Thanksgiving in Taylor Hall? I don't think I need to say any more.

-Staying up until 4 AM the night before Thanksgiving playing KOTOR at my cousin's house

-Discovering the true meaning of a big family Thanksgiving when I started dating my wife and attending her family Thanksgiving celebrations.

-Sitting in a tree stand and taking pictures of deer because I don't have a gun license

-Going to D.C. this year with my wife for a long weekend and much needed vacation

I may not have had a "traditional" big family Thanksgiving for most of my life, but I'm glad for the Thanksgiving experiences I have had because they've made me appreciate and be thankful for not only family but life in general. I hope you all will appreciate Thanksgiving in whatever way you celebrate this year.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Boring Baseball

2007-10-29T16:12:00.001-05:00

I think I may be starting to understand why so many people find baseball so boring. It's hard to be into a sport where the penultimate competition is completely lopsided and uninteresting. It wouldn't be so bad if that was an occasional occurrence, but the World Series for the last 3 or 4 years has been a death march of 4-0 or 4-1 series victories. I was really hoping that this year would be the year of breaking that trend, but I was disappointed once again. The World Series was a complete waste of my time and completely uninspiring. I didn't even care who won; I just wanted a fun series to watch.

What's even worse is that the playoffs leading up to the big show were equally uninspiring. The only series worth watching was Cleveland and Boston. And the networks wonder why no one tunes in for the baseball playoffs. They're about as exciting as watching paint dry. No amount of Dane Cook and "There's only one October" could salvage the postseason this year. Good riddance 2007.

The Fair is a Veritable Smorgasbord

2007-10-16T20:38:00.001-05:00

This weekend Melissa and I went to the North Carolina State Fair. Before this state fair experience, I had been to the Wisconsin State Fair and Melissa had never been to any state fair. As I expected, the fair was for the most part the same fair that is in every state.

Lots of really unhealthy, but really tasty food. And some animals and mullets.

The NC fair, however, was unusual in a few notable ways. First of all, NC is the South. Anytime you do anything in the South, you are bound to encounter all shapes, sizes, and personalities of rednecks. I understand that Illinois and Indiana have their fair share of rednecks, but nothing is quite like a southern redneck. They are beyond accurate description and are only fully appreciated when observed.

The other notable aspect of the NC state fair was the benches and benches full of cured tobacco. I'm not sure if this is peculiar to North Carolina or if it's something peculiar to the South in general, but it was a very new and unusual experience for me. And, if benches full of drying tobacco was not enough for you, the fair generously provided homemade spittoons at the end of each bench. Each seemed to be made from whatever tin can was lying nearby. The friends we were with strongly recommended not picking up a leaf and giving it a chew unless we really wanted quite the buzz. I think I was in too great a state of shock to even process why anyone would want to pick up a leaf and chew on it. Definitely a highlight/favorite story from the fair this year.

I did actually try a fried Snickers this year, and it was better than I expected, but I kind of felt like I was eating a corn dog with powdered sugar on it and melted chocolate inside. Strange.

Carolina BBQ

2007-10-06T20:26:00.000-05:00

If anyone ever needs a reason to move to North Carolina, one only needs to look to the savory flavor of an authentic Carolina-styled barbecue. Carolina barbecue is not just your average backyard shindig: it's a full-fledged lifestyle. We have been to several barbecues in the past few weeks, and I have come to the conclusion that nothing beats the aroma and flavor of a nice vinegar-based pig pickin'. There's no need for all that thick and heavy western style barbecue sauce that overwhelms your taste buds and sends them into sugary sweet overload.

A little tang.

A little zest.

A little kick.

There's nothing overwhelming or heavy about North Carolina barbecue sauce. In fact, it's just perfect.

But a vinegar-based sauce??? Slightly sickening perhaps, but only for the uninitiated. What's more disgusting is the amount of pig on my plate. Trust me, there have been studies done about this (in fact, my wife just informed me of a man who traveled around the country on a barbecue quest, only to conclude that Carolina barbecue is in fact the best).

Fortunately, Carolina barbecue, in all its tangy goodness, compensates for North Carolina's many severe shortcomings. But that's another topic for another day.

That Guy

2007-09-28T21:13:00.001-05:00

I've become something I never thought I would be. I'm that guy who knows everyone everywhere he goes. You know the type. At the bank, the grocery store, the mall, the gas station, there's always a familiar face waving a friendly hand. For those of you who have known me for a long time, you know that this is very uncharacteristic of me. I have never been one to go out of my way to talk to people I don't know or even people I do know somewhat. Being a barista, however, has totally changed that. Every day that I go out in public, I see someone who is either a regular at the coffee shop or at least partially regular. Most of the time the interactions are relatively harmless; a simple "hello, how are you?" On increasingly regular occasions, however, the interactions are very friendly and sometimes even go beyond the surface level questions. On the other hand, there are some encounters that are just completely and incredibly awkward. I've been grocery shopping and I see a customer and they say, "oh, what are you doing here?" Well, I thought I was grocery shopping, but does it look like I'm doing something else? My personal favorites are the interactions where I have no clue what the person's name is but I can spout off that they usually order a skinny sugar-free vanilla latte with an extra shot. "Oh yeah, you're the person who orders that drink. What was your name again?" Melissa is quite amused by my newfound network of social contacts, and I have to say that I do in fact enjoy knowing people everywhere I go. There is something rewarding and fulfilling about being "that guy."

The Cubs

2007-09-22T20:29:00.000-05:00

I really wanted to give them a chance to win over my heart. I opened myself up to them and all I received was heartbreak and anger. Unfortunately, after this baseball season, the Chicago Cubs will never ever again hold an opportunity to win my affections. Everything about this season was working perfectly until the Cubs started winning a few games in a row and then climbing in the standings. My beloved Brew Crew was finally getting their shot at a division title and maybe even the playoffs. But the Cubs ruined all of that. In two short months, the Cubs were now the hot team with the division lead, and I was left by the wayside questioning my own existence and how the tide could change so quickly. I'm sorry, most of my family, but there is no way I can ever root for the Cubs again. The Chicago Cubs are dead to me. They've plucked out my heart and not only mashed it to little bits but then reconstructed it and mashed it into little bits again. Needless to say, I will be heartlessly rooting against the Cubs, if they make the playoffs, with a gaping hole in my chest where my heart was so cruelly ripped out. I guess I won't be so quick to lay it all out in my next relationship.

New Semester

2007-09-03T14:22:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again when school gets in full swing and everything about life cranks up a notch. It's been forever since I've had a chance to sit down and blog because the past month has been so incredibly busy. We took a week-long trip to the Midwest to visit family and our brand new niece, Olivia. She was absolutely beautiful, and we couldn't get enough of holding her. We got to see a lot of family and friends, but ended up spending much of the trip in the car or traveling in some manner. The trip culminated in a furiously frustrating trip to the airport that resulted in missing our flight and sitting in the airport for 4 hours until the later flight. Fortunately, we got home, but much later than we ever hoped or intended. Many thanks to I-55 and the wonders of closing down entire stretches of the freeway.

It's been non-stop since we got back, and I have a feeling it will be non-stop until December. Both of us are applying for grad school this semester in addition to working and taking classes. This weekend has been a nice little break, but I'm sure it will only get harder until the end of the semester. I will try to blog as much as possible, but we'll see. No promises. The last few hours of my Labor day weekend are quickly slipping away, and I need to take advantage of all the relaxing I can.

Finally Some Harry Potter Stories

2007-08-01T14:52:00.000-05:00

I've finally gotten around to relaxing and recapping after the Harry Potter release party at the bookstore where I work. Harry-mania is starting to die down, but I still talk to a lot of people still reading and savoring the seventh book. I, on the other hand, devoured it in two afternoons. I like to rationalize by saying I was just trying to be nice to my wife so she could read it soon, but truthfully I just couldn't put it down. I will not, however, divulge any secrets on this blog for those few of you who may still be waiting breathlessly to read the final installment.

On to more amusing things. In the few days leading up to the Friday night release, a young man (probably freshman in high school) began bribing me to give him a new Harry Potter book before anyone else. He started on Wednesday with an offer of $20, and by Friday he was up to the cash plus a Treo phone and his dad's "extra" iPhone. On Wednesday we hadn't even gotten the books delivered yet but he was sure that they were in, and he offered me money just to let him look! Oh, and it wasn't his money, it was his dad's. On Friday afternoon he set up a tent outside the bookstore with some of his friends so it looked like they had camped out. This kid was crazy! I told his dad about all his antics because I know his dad as a regular customer at the coffee shop, and he didn't seem too amused.

I ended up working the few hours before the party started and then came back around 11 to help prep and set up everything for handing out the books. I didn't have to come back but I thought it might be kind of fun just to see how crazy it would be. My wife came back with me for a while just to check out the decorations (both in the shop and on the people), and we were not disappointed. We saw several Harrys of all ages, a few Rons, one Hermione who looked like a cross between Hermione and a creature from the pits of Hell, a merperson, Mad-Eye Moody, Professor Trelawney, and the giant lady from the French school in the fourth book. The funny thing about her was that she was unnaturally tall to begin with. An instance of a costume perfect for the person. There was also a quite good Snape who had hair so greasy looking I'm pretty sure it would never wash out.

The costumes were only the tip of the iceberg. When it came time to hand out the books, people immediately congealed into a giant blob of anxious nerds. Our system for handing out pre-ordered books was no match for the amount of people gathered in the shop so we resorted to just having people come up to a table, give us their names, and we would check them off. I was one of the luck strong men to carry boxes of books to the distribution table. I made a couple trips with one box of ten books on my shoulder and another box of ten books at my waist through a crowd of people so dense I actually had to push people aside, nearly creating a domino effect throughout the whole store. I finally ended up staying by the distribution table opening boxes of books to set out to give to the customers. It was better than shoving my way through 200 people.

When it was all said and done, it only took a half hour to hand out nearly 200 books. I left the store at 1 AM on Saturday, thinking that I had just experienced something quite amazing but that I never wanted to experience anything like it again.

Harry Potter Week

2007-07-17T13:47:00.000-05:00

Around here the local paper is unofficially calling this week "Harry Potter Week." Each day in the paper they have some different little section having to do with Harry Potter. At the Tiearney house, however, Harry Potter week is definitely official and it's definitely in fully swing. The week began with a viewing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and it will end on Saturday with the delivery of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in my very own mailbox. Or else Amazon owes me some money. If I told you how excited I was for this book release, I guarantee you would brand me an even bigger dork than you already have from reading the title and first lines of this post. This is the first time I've been able to participate in Harry Potter buzz because I hadn't read any of the previous books before the 6th one was released. And let me tell you, there is quite the buzz. The bookshop that I recently started working at is having a full-fledged Harry Potter party with games, trivia, costume contests, and more, and I will most likely be involved somewhat in that event. It's pretty cool viewing the release from a bookseller's point of view because of the excitement that it generates (which means $$$$$) ranging all the way to hysteria.

For all of you Harry fans out there, you know what I'm talking about when I say excitement. This book is it. It's what we've been waiting for for so long. So many questions that won't be answered until Saturday. Only four more days, and it's finally here. Enjoy this week and celebrate all things Harry Potter.

Good Times, Good Friends

2007-07-10T15:13:00.000-05:00

This past weekend my wife and I were the brief hosts of one of my best friends from college and his wife. The two of us are world-renowned road-trippers, and we decided that this trip would be no less. Within the span of two days, we drove 6 hours to Atlanta, spent just under 24 hours in the city and drove the 6 hours back. We did sleep, in case you were wondering, at a very nice hotel that was only affordable because of priceline.com. It was the first time in over a year that I had seen my friend, and it was great. I love it when you know someone so well that you can converse with each other like no time has passed. It was also great to see our wives get to know each other better.

We didn't have a lot of time in Atlanta but we definitely made the most of it. We ate at a fantastic establishment in the Buckhead community of Atlanta (where our hotel was), saw the incredible new Georgia Aquarium, and got a panoramic view of the nighttime skyline from the tallest hotel in the Southeast. It was quite the whirlwind trip. After our short stay in Atlanta, I would love to go back sometime and spend a long weekend. The aquarium was one of the best I've ever visited, the city seemed very clean (as much as any city can be), and southern charm was at its best. Above all, the trip was a great time to get away, refresh, catch up with good friends, and just have some fun. Enjoy the supplemental pics that tell the further story of our trip.

Canoeing, Communication, and Cooperation

2007-07-02T15:54:00.001-05:00

Today my wife and I took advantage of the gorgeous weather and did something we have been wanting to try for quite a while now. We live next to a large man-made lake that provides most of the drinking water for the area, and it also offers canoe and flat-bottom boat rentals. We decided to try the canoe. Neither of us had ever canoed before so we thought it would be a fun little adventure. Well, it was an adventure but it didn't start out too fun. As we pulled away from the pier, we barely got past the edge when our paddling started spinning us in circles. Somehow we got clear of the pier, but continued paddling in broad circles and going nowhere. At first it was a good laugh, but I could feel annoyance slowly creeping up on me. Fortunately, we decided to switch our places so that I was in the back, and we quickly got the hang of it from there on out. Throughout the rest of our peaceful canoe ride, we discussed the effectiveness of canoeing as part of a pre-marital counseling program. It confronts the couple with two of the major issues in marriage: teamwork and communication. If you can't get those down, you'll just end up turning in circles and shouting at each other, while everyone else watches from the shore and gives a little bit of a pity laugh. However, after today, I can safely say that we passed the canoeing test and will definitely be doing it again.

Bugs

2007-06-21T15:22:00.000-05:00

Bugs. I hate them. Especially when they are in my living space. I never knew when I moved to North Carolina that I would see such a colorful and varied assortment of insects. My apartment is nestled in a quiet, wooded area that screams ideal at first glance. But, when summer comes, beware. The bugs literally start crawling out of the woodwork. Spiders spin their webs in my vaulted ceiling and all the way down the stairs to get to my car, house centipedes randomly pop up on my walls or underneath the shower curtain, wood roaches (palmetto bugs) occasionally find their way in, and to top it all off a real, segmented, hundred-legged centipede with nasty pincers on its butt casually made its way across the den floor last night. And yes, that's the kind that have a nasty bite. Ugh. If there is one thing that upsets my constitution, it's bugs of any shape or size. Plus, since I'm supposed to be the man of the house, it's always my job to dispatch the said insects, which usually results in an extended staring contest between me and the critter before I build enough courage to take a whack at it. I have quickly learned the importance of having a can of Raid and a flyswatter within grasping distance, and to keep relishing the thought that this is my last full summer to deal with all these crazy bugs.

A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far, Far Away

2007-05-25T16:45:00.000-05:00

Thirty years ago today one of the most groundbreaking and innovative films in history hit theaters nationwide. It proceeded to troop across the U.S. by storm (sorry, I couldn't resist) and become a colossal money-maker. Star Wars. The original Star Wars. I wasn't actually born until the year Return of the Jedi came out, but all three of the movies made a permanent and lasting impression on my young mind. In honor of thirty years of Star Wars legacy, I decided to take some time to reflect on a few of the ways Star Wars has influenced my own life.

1. It opened my imagination to a whole new world of spaceships, lasers, fantastic planets, and of course Jedi. I distinctly remember countless afternoons after school running around with my sister and my best friend pretending that we had lightsabers and were trying to save the galaxy. Of course, I always played Luke Skywalker. When it came time to write stories in 6th grade, I wrote the first part of my own Star Wars trilogy with myself as the main character. I enjoyed it so much I went on to write the second two parts, and I still have them somewhere.

2. It strengthened the confidence of my inner geek by helping me realize that it could be pretty cool to like geeky kind of stuff. Sometimes...

3. It forged a special bond between me and my cousins which began with hand-me-down toys and continues through Star Wars video games. Over the years it has practically become a trait in the family genes to be a Star Wars lover.

4. It has occasionally helped me escape reality for a few brief moments. When I was caught up in the Star Wars universe, I could dream big and imagine beyond reality. I even was determined to build my own working speeder bike!

Thank you Star Wars for bringing magic into movies and helping kids and adults of all ages and backgrounds escape into a world of imagination and fun. Here's to thirty more years of your legacy.

The Pool is Open!

2007-05-15T12:42:00.000-05:00

After the apartment complex we lived at in Naperville, I never expected to be so excited about that phrase. When Memorial Day came around and the pool opened, no one cared. The pool had no aesthetic appeal, no privacy, and no one interested in using it (probably because you can't even really use it until July!). However, when I saw the sign saying that the pool is open posted at our apartment in North Carolina, it was a day of rejoicing. In fact, the pool opening was an event a long time overdue considering that the weather has been pool-worthy for about the last month. In contrast to the pool in Naperville, the pool here is surrounded by nice tall trees, it looks pleasant to be in, and- surprise!- people actually use it. The only thing better than the pool opening will be the first trip to the beach, but for now I can catch my rays at our lovely complex pool. Actually, I think I'm going to head down there right now.......

This is their year....

2007-04-27T13:04:00.000-05:00

Could it be a sign of the apocalypse? Perhaps. Could it be an early season fluke? Possibly. Could it be for real? Hopefully. The Milwaukee Brewers, for the first time since 1992, are playing good, solid baseball and are in first place. And, they're not just barely in first place, they have a respectable three game lead over the competition. The last time the Brewers had a decent season I was 9 years old and they were still an American League team. That said, I understand it's still early in the season, but there's something to be said for early momentum. I also recognize that the NL central is quite possibly the weakest division in baseball at this point, but it's still first place. I don't think first place has happened since they went to the World Series in 1982. And yes, I will be quite happy to rub it in the face of all my friends and family if the Brewers somehow happen to maintain first place, although I might go easy on the Cubs fans because they are generally worse off than I am (and I have strong familial connections to many of them). The current baseball season is already promising to be an exciting one, and by the all-star break I should have a fairly good idea of whether or not my Brew Crew will say farewell to the rest of the NL central and head straight for the playoffs. And to put the icing on the cake, the Yankees are cellar-dwellers. The baseball gods are smiling favorably on me this season.

By the way, I hope that I offended some of you with my derogatory comments regarding the state of the NL central, and I think you know which specific team(s) I was referring to. I still love you, but I'm sorry that you're all going to get burned this season.

A Campaign for More Exercise

2007-04-15T16:15:00.000-05:00

The campaign headquarters for the John Edwards presidential campaign moved in across the street from the coffee shop where I work just a few months ago. On the whole, the members of the campaign seem to be recent political science/law grads who are passionate about John Edwards' platform and probably looking to get more into politics themselves. Many of them regularly come into the coffee shop (sometimes twice a day) to help get them through their 12 hour plus days at the office. Yesterday, a few of the guys invited me to go play football with them because I was getting off work at about the time they were going to play. I decided that, since Melissa had a haircut appointment, I met as well play football instead of sit around at home.

When I got down to the field I did some warm-up stretches because I knew I hadn't exercised those muscles in quite a while, but I had no idea how out of shape those muscles were. The game was great fun, and I even scored a touchdown, but not long after I got home I could already feel my muscles stiffening. Not a good sign. Of course, this morning it got even worse, and I had difficulty driving to and from church because I had a hard time lifting my leg to move it from the accelerator to the brake. Maybe the best way to show me how out of shape some of my muscles are was to pound them to the ground, because I'm really not that old yet. I don't know if the football experience will actually motivate me to exercise more, but the pain was definitely worth the gain (remember those "No Fear" t-shirts). I like to look at the experience as maybe I burned one of our future presidents for that touchdown, and when he or she is in office I can say, "I totally smoked that guy."

A Random Collection of Various Thoughts, Updates, and other Useless Information

2007-03-21T12:04:00.000-05:00

-Thrift store shopping in the South took on a whole new meaning for me this weekend. Carrboro is home to one of the "best" thrift stores in the country or something like that, and it is run by the PTA so all the benefits go to the schools. I was definitely impressed by the selection and quality of merchandise in the shop(I purchased two books in pretty decent condition for $.50 each), but what made the trip interesting was the customers. First of all, we had to wait in line for about 15 minutes just to check out because of one lady who took that entire 15 minutes. When she first got to the register she loudly proclaimed to the clerk that the item was grossly mismarked, and that it was even too big for her even though it was marked really small. I think after her tirade everyone in the shop knew exactly what size she wore and what size she thought the skirt was supposed to be. Geez, lady, it's a thrift store, cut 'em some slack. To top the whole event off, the lady's husband had bought a printer or something in the basement and as she was finishing checking out, the husband yelled up the stars, "Carol, give 'er another dollar, I'm buyin' somethin' else." Once again, he might as well have spoken over the loudspeaker. Thank you, thrift store couple, for redefining southern hospitality as speaking so loudly in a public place that I might as well have been invited over for dinner and treated to y'alls life story.

-I have decided that y'all is by far the most efficient way to address more than one person. I suppose if I learn nothing else while living in North Carolina, I can take that little nugget with me. Sorry Chicagoans, "you guys" just doesn't cut it.

-Speaking of Chicago, I just watched the movie The Breakup, and it made me really miss living in the Chicagoland area. Chicago is just plain a great city and there's no getting around it.

-I also just viewed the new trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean 3, and I don't care what anyone said about the second movie, this one looks so awesome I almost wet my pants.

-In more serious news, I am basically at the end of the line for grad school applications. I have heard from everyone except North Carolina, and every one of them has been a polite, but resounding "no." I have come to a point through reflection, prayer, and depression not to pursue a PhD in Classical Studies. Instead, I will be reapplying to schools for fall of next year for the Masters Program with a teaching certification for high school Latin. However, this means that we will be staying in North Carolina for another year, and I will be taking a few more classes at UNC. The whole decision process has been very exhausting and frustrating, but I feel that I'm at an exciting new fork in the road. If anyone would like to know more about my thoughts and decisions that are either too boring or long for a brief blog post, give me a call or send me an email.

-By the way, UNC is going to win the NCAA basketball tournament.

It has only begun...

2007-03-02T13:52:00.000-05:00

I will be the first to admit that I have suffered from a serious case of blog neglect. It seems like the first of February was only last week, and now it's already March! Working 25 hours a week and going to class twice a week just makes the days fly by. But enough of making excuses. For those of you who have been following my blog over the past few months, you will know that I recently finished applying to grad schools. Well, the first verdicts have come in and unfortunately they have not been positive. All the festivities kicked off with a generic rejection email from the University of Illinois. I did receive an official letter about a week later, but it was definitely not a positive way to kick off the season of school responses. Duke was the next in line to send me the holy heave, and fortunately, it has stopped there so far. Admittedly, it has already been an emotionally trying time for me, which has driven me to questioning not only my ability, but my motivation as well. However, I think I see God working in reforming my motivations toward a life that's more focused on impacting other people. I still have seven schools to hear from, so I suppose the odds are pretty good that I will be accepted at one.

Sorry for no witty or humorous post this time around, but I pretty much only have one thing on my mind, and when it's not thinking about this one thing, it's fried.

A Slap in the Face

2007-02-08T11:22:00.000-05:00

I recently saw a commercial that nearly brought me tears and roused my most deep-seated feelings of anger. And no, it was not the controversial Snickers commercial. It was a commercial for California dairy products. The tagline of the commercial went something like this: "Good cheese comes from happy cows. Happy cows come from California." Those of you who are well aware of my dairyland roots will recognize the disrespect and downright disgrace of such an ad. Who do the Californians think they are, subtly saying that their cheese is the best in the country when Wisconsin has been producing the best cheese in the country since forever? If there was ever a time where I thought it appropriate for California to break off into the Pacific, now is the time. They must understand that you just don't mess with the cheeseheads. Forget about taking the Snickers commercial off the air, this commercial is much more disrespectful and worthy of censoring than any shot of two men accidentally kissing. California just gave Wisconsin one big slap in the face, and the cheeseheads I know will stand up to this disgrace and send all those rich hippies where they belong: a lonely island in the middle of the Pacific.

The Neverending Story

2007-01-21T18:48:00.000-05:00

I love stories. I love to listen to them, read them, and even tell them. I like to tell stories with details that add a little flavor to the narrative and give listeners a little glimpse into the characters and the setting. I guess if you could compare my taste in storytelling to famous literary figures, I would probably be similar to a Tolkien, or my own professional research interest, Herodotus, the father of history. Both of those literary figures engage the audience with tangents that add depth and flavor to the story and provide a little mental rest from the driving narrative.

Recently, however, my own dear wife shattered my story-world. She told me that my stories are too long, and that they have too much detail, and that I needed to cut down on the number of details I included in my stories. Like a good husband, I took her advice to mind, but my heart broke. My world of story-telling will never be the same again now that I'm so self-conscious about how long my stories are. I deeply apologize to those who may have had to bear through one of my epic narrations. I promise to work on that fault and maybe attend rehab (but if I'm in rehab with the literary likes of Tolkien and Herodotus, it can't be that bad!)

The second half of this post may or may not be entirely serious, partially serious, or not at all serious (she did tell me my stories are too long, but I continue to lovingly disagree with her!)

The Art of Waiting

2007-01-04T10:27:00.000-05:00

Most of us spend a significant portion of our lives waiting for something. We wait for the light to turn, our husband, wife, or kids to come home, or for someone to post another blog. Whatever way you look at it, we spend a lot of time waiting, and in fact we just finished a holiday season which relies strongly on waiting. I remember as a kid waiting impatiently to finally see what was in those presents under the tree. I waited for so long that I felt I couldn't wait any more without bursting. As I have matured, I have come to recognize that waiting is a skill that must be honed and practiced.

There are two prominent natures to the skill of waiting: anticipation and frustration. When we are young, we are overwhelmed by the extremes of both natures, so the idea of waiting for something is both desirable and undesirable at the same time. As we grow and mature, the dichotomy of waiting levels out because we understand it better. We have learned to anticipate but not over-anticipate, and we hopefully have learned to quell the frustration with a developed sense of patience.

All this nonsense to get to my main thought. I have been reconfronted with the dual nature of waiting as I wait for the decisions to start arriving from all of the schools where I applied. I am experiencing a great amount of anticipation because I am very excited about the next step in my life, but I am also incredibly frustrated because I have absolutely no control over what the schools decide. Everything that was in my power went out in the mail just a couple weeks ago. I'm having a hard time letting go and just waiting because I want to have some sort of hand in where I will go to school and live for the next five or six years. With this thought I realized that waiting is not only a test of my patience, it is also a spiritual discipline. Waiting, for me at least, requires trusting that God will illuminate the right path. With everything out of my control, all I can do is let go and let God work.

I am in the midst of an exciting and uncertain time right now, and it may be filled with much anticipation and frustration, but what better way to endure it than to sit back, treasure each day on its own, and enjoy the wait.

Tribute

2006-12-21T13:16:00.000-05:00

DISCLAIMER: This blog may contain elements of potty humor.

This blog is a tribute to the greatest, most under-appreciated piece of hardware in your household: the toilet lever. Day in and day out it dutifully bends to the will of your fingers, making your flushing experience the most pleasant it can be. As one small piece of metal molded in a basic shape (although maybe yours is shaped like a dolphin or a golf club) it holds so much power. Power enough to suck 1.6 liters of water through a small hole in a very rapid swirling motion. Yet you, most dutiful toilet lever, in your final days were detaching from your post and sticking. Truly it was a sign of old age. And today of all days, oh toilet lever, you met your fate. Who could have known that right after the toilet was flushed you would slip out of your owner's hands as he was attempting to keep you on your post. And who could have known that in the ensuing tumble you would bounce right into the swirling toilet bowl. And, oh, who could have known that you would be sucked right down the hole along with everything else. But you fell honorably and you didn't even clog up the toilet; you just swirled right on down. In the blink of an eye you were no more. But, just as a fish who has seen its final day, you met your fate with honor and dignity, and you engraved in your owner's mind how important you really are. Moreover will I sing of your wondrous and mighty flushing power for generations to come.

Surprise!

2006-12-12T16:29:00.000-05:00

I've decided recently that attempting some sort of surprise for my wife only ends up in her learning about it before it's supposed to happen. Right before Thanksgiving I had made reservations at a small bed and breakfast in the area for a suprise night out. The place called my cell to confirm, but I was in class so I called them back when I got home. Unfortunately, I had to leave a message then and told them to call back. They didn't call back of course until the next morning at 8 AM when I was still in bed and Melissa was getting ready for work. So, there went surprise number one (and it was so good!) Then, for Christmas this year we decided that we were only going to get one gift for each other, which, if you've ever done that, puts extra pressure on for finding that perfect gift. Well, I found my perfect gift and wrapped it up and threw the box for it in my trunk because the box would have given away what sort of thing the gift was. However, I quickly forgot that the box resided in my trunk, and on this past Sunday we were loading Christmas cookies to take to our small group, when I opened the trunk and beheld the loathsome box sitting right in plain view. It took me a few seconds to remember what the box was for, but soon I had that gut-wrenching feeling in my stomach and that utterly defeated look on my face. Melissa looked at the box, then at me, and then bust up laughing as I slammed the trunk shut. It wasn't too hard for her to miss the larger-than-life letters spelling out Zappos.com.

In other news, this past week started finals along with summoning the due date of several of my grad school applications. Needless to say, it has been stressful, but more tedious to fill out all of the applications (probably because I'm applying to nine schools!). My goal is to be done with all of them by Dec. 22 when we head up north to the frozen tundra for some holiday cheer with family for a week or so. I only actually have four left to do and endless amounts of freetime now that school's done so I'm not expecting any problems. It will be a great burden off of my shoulders once they are done.

Hunting

2006-11-27T16:48:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday I shot a deer...........with a camera. Unfortunately, if you were hoping for interesting, compelling stories from my hunting excursion on Thanksgiving you will probably be disappointed. It turns out that I actually didn't get to shoot anything. We were mistakenly led to believe that I didn't need a hunter's safety course to get a hunting license so I wasn't legally allowed to do any hunting. However, I did get to put on all the gear and sit in the tree stand with a camera for a couple hours. It was incredibly peaceful and quiet, and on the whole, a very relaxing experience. I saw one young buck with short antlers not too far from the tree stand eating the corn strategically laid on the forest ground. When he left he joined a group of about four other deer in the distance that I wasn't able to get a real good look at because they were too far away. Unfortunately for my companion at another tree stand, he didn't see any deer at all. Overall, it was a great experience that I would definitely like to try again for real. Even though I didn't actually get to shoot at anything, I enjoyed the experience of interacting with nature and just being outside.

True Manhood

2006-11-20T16:39:00.000-05:00

One could possible say that I am making my first step into true manhood on Thursday. For the first time ever, I will be braving the elements and attempting to shoot live animals. That's right, this city kid is going hunting. My small group leader at church has a huge amount of land that he is going to take me hunting on. This will be the first time I've fired a real gun, and I'm pretty excited. Hunting is something I've always been casually interested in but never seriously considered as something I would ever have the chance to do. Several members of my family hunt or have hunted in the past so it's always been something I've been familiar with, but now it's my turn to be a man. I highly doubt that I will actually kill any deer, but at least it will be a fun experience. I will be sure to update afterwards with stories.

November Madness

2006-11-11T23:28:00.000-05:00

Well, my friends, it's here. That's right. Basketball season is underway in the state of North Carolina. Neither Duke nor Carolina has played a game yet, but they might as well have already won the championship with the way people get excited around here. Football season isn't even close to being done, but that doesn't matter. Part of the problem, if you know anything about college football, is that neither Duke nor Carolina puts together a football team resembling any sort of cohesive team unit. Between the two teams there may be a combined total of 2 wins. Thus, any excuse to ignore the football team and look ahead to glorious basketball season is warmly welcomed. I have never been much of a follower of college basketball before, but there is something about the atmosphere here that just requires you to be interested. Although I will probably never be able to go to a game, it still is exciting to be on the verge of a season that looks so promising for the Carolina team. So I guess this is the year that I give basketball a chance. I guess there's really no better state in the union to undertake such an endeavor. Bring on the hoops!

There's No Place Like Home

2006-10-31T22:00:00.000-05:00

Well, I've already missed posting once every week, but I will excuse myself because it was a pretty busy week. Last Wednesday, I got to go back home to Wisconsin for the first time since about April of this year. Needless to say, it was a long time since I had been home. It was great to see family and friends and spend some time away from school and all the stuff going on here. I was privileged to be a part of my friend Pete's wedding over the weekend, which was the main reason I traveled back. Although I didn't know most of the people in the wedding, everyone was very friendly and enjoyable to be around, which made it a very enjoyable experience. I also got to see some friends and family in the Chicago area for a brief lunch. It was not much time, but enough to get a little caught up and just to enjoy seeing them all again. I was disturbed, however, to see how much has been built in the quickly-expanding western suburbs of Chicago just since I moved in June. A Kohl's, Meijer, and Lowe's, in addition to other strip mall type stores were nearly completed in Oswego that had scarcely been started when I moved. It made me a little sad because I have become accustomed to the abundant foliage in North Carolina, which is nowhere in sight throughout the western suburbs. I also realized how much I didn't miss driving in Chicago traffic.

The trip on the whole was incredibly busy, especially with preparing for the wedding and trying to see everyone I wanted to see in such a short time. Unfortunately, I think I probably ended up spending less time with everyone than I would have liked. I guess that's what happens when you have only limited time and unlimited things to do and see. Despite greatly enjoying the time I spent at home this past weekend, it was also nice to come back to my new home. There's something about the normal routine and the comfort it provides that always feels welcome. I love and miss everyone back in the midwest, and for those of you I saw this weekend, I appreciate the time we spent together, even if it was short.

I have to admit it was pretty nice coming back here and getting up the next day to 70 degrees. It's also pretty fun to rub that in to y'all up in the north!

A search for a constant

2006-10-19T16:53:00.000-05:00

I have decided that my blog needs, and possibly deserves, some sort of purpose. I have been blogging aimlessly and sporadically for the last year and a half, but I felt that now was an appropriate time to give my blog a makeover. I realized how much my life is full of changes, daily changes sometimes. Especially as I pursue my education, I have no idea where I will end up in a year, let alone five years. I also realized as I was writing my personal statement for my grad school applications how much I love to write. Over the years I have grown more and more fond of writing, and I often feel like I can express myself better through the art of writing. So, I figured the only natural conclusion was to take this blogging thing a little more serious and make it my constant. Let me explain what I mean about making blogging my constant. Most likely you will still read some completely random posts, but the focus of the constant is not to provide a set theme or purpose for the blog, the focus is to provide one thing in my life that I can go to every week and just write whatever. Often I feel overwhelmed by the massive life changes that I am currently experiencing, and this blog is one way I can still feel connected to my family and friends in addition to staying grounded myself. So, if you don't see a post from me at least once a week, leave angry comments. I won't get offended, just inspired. So there you have it--a new blog with a new purpose (and a cool new title!)

The Yankees yanked everyone's chain again.

2006-10-10T16:53:00.000-05:00

That's right...for the who knows how many times since 2000, the Yankees have swaggered big stuff all season only to be eliminated before even reaching the World Series. I have to admit Georgey and his multi-million dollar company have once again made my fall baseball viewing that much more pleasurable. If the Yankees didn't make it to the playoffs every year only to be eliminated, I would have no one to root so passionately against. So, I guess for that a thanks is in order for the steamrollers of baseball (and by that I mean they steamroll every other team with their enormous payroll truck). So I hope the Yankees continue to make the playoffs because it makes for a very exciting postseason when 200 million dollars worth of players lose to a small-market team in the first round. That's really all I have to say about that...I have a feeling I'm probably preaching to the choir anyway, and I haven't blogged in a while as well.

By the way, for the two people who actually might read my blog occasionally, Melissa and I found an awesome church in Durham that we go to, and we've just started getting involved in a young married couples small group. It's a bit of a drive, but it was a sacrifice we were willing to make.

Church Hunting

2006-08-15T20:08:00.000-05:00

In the course of the last few weeks, I have discovered that the process of finding a church is much more difficult than I ever expected. Melissa and I originally got involved at CCC in an unusual way because we just started going there without really checking out any other churches. We already knew people from school who had made CCC their home so we started going because we knew people there. We quickly grew to love the church.

However, when we just recently moved to North Carolina, we encountered a situation completely unlike any previous situation we had encountered. We had no connections and we knew no one who had gone before us. Thus, we started "pounding the pavement" as they say. We were soon confronted with the prospect of few to no churches from the background that we grew up in because this area is predominantly Baptist. This fact didn't seem too daunting originally because we knew we could probably find a good non-denominational church. After a couple weeks of searching, however, we started noticing that the church culture here is entirely different from the church culture in the Midwest. Elements of church that we are used to, such as communion, are viewed in very different ways here.

Needless to say, the church hunt has become somewhat frustrating and difficult. We know that we can't be too picky, but at the same time we don't want to compromise doctrines that we feel are crucial. If we have learned or gained anything in this process, it seems to be a more concrete and practical idea of what we feel like the church should be. We have had to ask some important questions such as: How important is it that we attend a Restoration church? How important is it that we celebrate the Lord's Supper every week? In asking these questions, we have defined some core values that we will not back down on in finding a church, and I know that God will bless that and provide us with a growing, relevant community of believers who strive to live like Jesus. If only it wasn't such a frustrating process...

New Hat, New Home

2006-07-12T13:55:00.000-05:00

Back in March when Melissa and I came to visit North Carolina to scout out jobs and apartments, I decided to buy a new hat with the logo of my soon-to-be school (that would be UNC, not Duke). Many of you know that when you buy a new hat, it takes a little while to break in completely. The bill has to be curved just right, the fabric has to be just soft enough but not too soft, and it has to fit comfortably on your head without being too tight or too loose. To my surprise, my new Tar Heels hat fit perfectly right away. It was the perfect combination of bill curve, fabric softness, and comfort on my rather large head (I won't say what size I had to buy).

Just today, the concept of new hats inspired some thoughts about new homes. Usually, when you move to a new place, it takes a little while to settle in. You have to find your niche in the new culture and community. As I was thinking about our new home here in North Carolina, I couldn't help but compare it to my dear old Tar Heels cap, and to my surprise, I found many parallels. Moving to North Carolina was a completely new step for both me and Melissa. All of our previous moves typically involved being relatively close to family or moving to someplace where we already knew some people, as was the case in Naperville. Just like my brand new cap, North Carolina was completely new and unknown to us. Then, I took the parallel another step further when I realized how I felt an immediate sense of comfort about being here even though it was completely unknown. Despite some boxes still left to unpack and a job still left to find (for me), I have an overwhelming sense that right now this is where we are supposed to be. It's hard to say about five years down the road or even next year, but right now the hat and the home fit perfectly. My head feels like it's supposed to fit in that hat, and my life feels like it fits perfectly in North Carolina.

Moving and Me

2006-05-27T17:24:00.000-05:00

I have discovered over the past few weeks that I don't really get along with the whole moving process. For those of you who know me well, you know how much of a clean freak I am (probably too much sometimes). Combine that with a small living space, lots of boxes, and junk everywhere, and then connect the dots. The end result is a picture of me with my hands over my face and frazzled fro-ish hair. If only life were like living at the Burrow with the Weasleys and Mrs. Weasley was around to just flick her wand and put everything into its place (sorry, I couldn't resist the Harry Potter reference). Unfortunately, it's not like that, and I am stuck coming home every night to more boxes and more junk that needs a box. I have always been the exact opposite of a pack rat, and now is definitely the time for my true colors to shine. If there's no use for it, it goes in the garbage or the Goodwill garbage bag. I think I am actually influencing Melissa a little bit because she was throwing stuff away the other night, and she is definitely a pack rat.

To help me through this trying time, I just remind myself that it will all be over in a month, and then I remember that we may be doing it all over again next summer. And with that, I dive into depression once again with visions of boxes dancing in my head.

What are you going to do with that?

2006-04-21T11:15:00.000-05:00

Have you ever thought about how a seemingly everday, insignificant question can define your life's purpose? I was contemplating this today on the way back from getting my hair cut. For me, that question is "what are you going to do with that?" What does that have to do with anything, you may ask. Well, I can guarantee you that everytime I explain what I am studying in school, the immediate response is that question. I have become so accustomed to hearing that question, that I immediately respond with my stock response: "teach." Then usually some sort of joke involving "it's all Greek to me" will surface in the conversation. Am I the only one with a purpose defined by a simple question? It's funny how I can find so much purpose in what I enjoy studying, but most other people do not understand it. It's such a simple question that I often take for granted, yet it contains the key to my purpose in life. However, I know that I can't be the only one who has experienced this sort of repetitive question in their lives. So, what's your question?

Airports are a funny sort of place

2006-04-02T22:10:00.000-05:00

Just yesterday Melissa and I returned from a successful scouting trip to the wonderful southern state of North Carolina, where we will be moving on July 1, just a few short months away. We found a place to live that is very convenient for my school and for Melissa's prospective new job. But that is neither here nor there. The most interesting part of the trip was the airport experience. For those of you who have flown several times before, you will know exactly what I'm talking about. We left North Carolina at a balmy 80 degrees, which meant that I was wearing shorts. I was aware that the temps in Chicago would be considerably less(like 45 degrees), but I just didn't feel like changing into pants at the airport. I figured I could brave the weather for the little amount of time I would be outside. My clothing decision lead me to a striking realization as we were sitting in Midway waiting for our ride home (that itself is a long story which I would love to divulge in more personal company, especially if that personal company involves friends of a certain Lucas Motley). My realization was that airports are the only places on the planet where you can see every season of clothing. I was obviously inappropriately dressed for the Chicago weather but very appropriately dressed for the North Carolina weather. Just across the baggage claim I could see people in heavier winter coats, obviously dressed for an even colder climate than Chicago. On the other hand, in warmer southern states the airports are filled with people dressed in their coats and long pants, which is completely unnecessary for the southern climate. In that moment, I gained a new appreciation for the uniqueness of an airport. Nowhere else can you see a person in shorts and a tank top standing next to someone with boots, a coat, and a stocking cap on. So when you stop to think about it, an airport really is a funny sort of place.

No more baby steps

2006-03-16T19:02:00.000-05:00

Well, Melissa and I have come to an important juncture in our lives. We are taking a huge big-person step, and that step involves moving halfway across the country. In just a few short months we will be packing up our stuff here in good old Naperville and heading down south to unpack our stuff in the lovely state of North Carolina. You ask why? Well, I was accepted to the post-baccalaureate program in Classical Studies at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. All of those big words basically mean I will be spending a year reading and studying Greek and Latin so I can hone my skills in order to have the best possible chance of getting into the best possible grad schools in the country. As you can tell, this is a rather big life change for both of us since neither of us really have any close family or friends who live in the Chapel Hill area. The move of course brings mixed emotions. I am incredibly excited to finally take the next step towards doing what I have wanted and dreamed of for many years, and also to experience someplace new. At the same time I am a little scared, nervous, and sad to be leaving close friends and family and plopping ourselves down in a completely unfamiliar place. We'll be able to get a little taste of our new home at the end of this month because we are traveling down there to scope out apartments, jobs, etc. It really is quite an exciting time for us and despite the difficult emotions that come with such a change, I am sure we will come away from our time in the deep south with a new maturity. For now, we best be partying it up these last three months or so that we are around!

What's the big deal with iPod's anyway?

2006-03-10T13:01:00.000-05:00

These days when you're walking down the street just about every person you see has some sort of iPod attached to themselves. Maybe it's a shuffle or a nano or the old school iPod or maybe they're watching some video on their video iPod. A lot of those people are probably even waiting for the brand new iPod coming out this year that is touch screen and can play widescreen movies in full 16:9 aspect ratio. No matter what kind of iPod everyone else has, the real issue here is that I don't have one. For quite a while I was perfectly ok with this prospect because I didn't really think I would use an iPod that much and, honestly, they're just too darn expensive for what they are. However, recently I am finding myself being drawn to that elusive iPod very much against my will. I keep finding myself thinking about what I would do with one if I had one and how it would be so nice to store all of my music. Then, after these dreamy thoughts I am quickly brought back to reality when I look at the exorbitant price tag and realize that I don't have the money to even buy half an iPod. This leads me to ponder exactly what really is the big deal about iPods. It's definitely not the price because not many people I know are all that excited about dropping 200-400 dollars in one shot. It's also not all the features (although there are many nice points about it) because you can get just about all those same features other ways (although probably without the same convenience as an iPod). Thus, I am left with only one real reason to buy an iPod and the reason that I want one now. It's a factor we are all well aware of I'm sure. The cool factor. People buy iPods because they are the cool thing to buy. If you're cool, you have an iPod. No amount of money can deter the cool factor, yet I must firmly resist because I really have more important things to be spending my money on. Namely, my graduate school education. Plus, since I've already decided that I'm really not that cool, it's perfectly ok to avoid the iPod craze. But, if anyone was gracious enough to buy me one after reading this post, I would surely not turn it down!

Harry-mania

2006-02-20T11:03:00.000-05:00

Here I am a good five years after the first Harry Potter phenomenon, and I am completely crazy about Harry Potter. I'm a little ashamed to tell people that I'm just now catching Harry-mania because it's one of those statements like "I just bought a cell phone." The usual response is "where have you been?" In addition to that I never would have expected to see myself reading the books even just a few months ago. I remember telling someone that I was never planning on reading them so he told me a big secret from the newest book. Now I'm kicking myself for saying that because it's not going to be the surprise it could have been. I am not the only one in my house who has caught the fever either. Melissa is reading the books as well. In fact, we both just finished the Goblet of Fire and went and saw the movie this weekend. We are both now caught up on the movies and have only two more books to go. She's started on the Order of the Phoenix while I am impatiently awaiting her to finish or get another copy from somewhere.

Before I had ever even considered reading any Harry Potter books, I had seen the first three movies because my parents had read the books. At the time, I was pretty satisfied with just watching the movies. However, reading/listening to the first four books over the last three months(I finished the fourth one in four days) has completely switched my mindset. After seeing the movie on Saturday, I felt so much better knowing all of the rest of the story that you don't get in the movies. So I've been bit by the Harry bug five years too late(better late than never, I say), but I don't plan on dressing up like Dumbledore for the next movie release. I didn't even do that for Lord of the Rings.

Rediscovering a Lost Art

2006-01-22T18:21:00.000-05:00

Now that I am done with school and into the working world (sort of), I have rediscovered a pastime that was such a big part of my life before I went to college: pleasure reading. Since school finished a little over a month ago I've listened to a book on cd and read almost two books. I think that's more than I've read for fun since college started. I just can't seem to get enough of all the stories, facts, new vocabulary, and diverse characters that I missed for so long while I was in college.

Maybe college is just a trumped up way to weed out those who really enjoy reading and those who don't. If you can make it through the gauntlet of four years (or five if you go to Lincoln) and still have an appreciation for reading, then somehow you've passed the test. For those who don't pass the test, life is no different except all of their stories come from movies and tv shows. For those who do make it through the gauntlet, there is a life full of the sweet nectar and ambrosia of books. I think I've finally passed the gauntlet. Next time you see me look for the little blue ribbon on my lapel that says "I survived college and I still love to read."

A Pirate's Life for Me

2006-01-02T12:29:00.000-05:00

For Christmas, Melissa bought me an xbox game that I had wanted for a while called "Sid Meier's Pirates." After less than a week, I have decided that I want to be a pirate. Not the kind with a pegleg and an eye patch, but the real suave kind who can plunder passing ships while wooing attractive governor's daughters at the same time. The game basically involves you being a pirate and sailing around the Caribbean in the 1660's and plundering passing ships, finding buried treasure and lost cities, dancing with and wooing governor's daughters, and searching for your lost family members who were captured when you were very young. Although there is nothing outstanding about any individual aspect of the game, the whole experience makes for a very addicting and all-around fun time. And, honestly, who's never wished they could be a pirate for just a little while?

This question then leads into an old college debate. Pirates or Ninjas? Most of you are probably familiar with this debate and probably have a definite stance on the issue. You can't be for both. It's kind of like the Cubs and Sox in Chicago. I'm sure you can already tell where I stand on this issue. The contents of this blog do not hide my allegiances in any way. However, the benefits of the pirates life are more than just the typical response of "booty." Who would want to be a ninja when a pirate can kick back on a ship in the Caribbean and enjoy the hot sun with a beautiful governor's daughter at his side? Plus, the treasure benefits far outweigh anything a ninja could get. I don't care how stealthy ninjas are or how tough their martial arts skill are, a trusty rapier on one side and a pistol on the other side are all a pirate needs to be the king of the Caribbean. And really, who wouldn't want to live in the Caribbean? So, in the words of good Captain Jack Sparrow, "Drink up me hearties yo-ho!"

The Chronicles and Over-critical Christians

2005-12-10T20:50:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've last posted, but the stresses of the end of the semester have been in full force. I just recently finished a 10-page exegetical paper on James 5:1-6 along with a 30 minute presentation on it. Now, all I have left in my undergraduate college career are three finals, which really are no big deal after finishing my exegesis project on James. To celebrate my last college class and no homework, Melissa and I went to see The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe last night. I thought the film was very well-done and quite accurate to the classic book by C.S. Lewis. I really enjoyed the film overall and would definitely recommend it to anyone. Unfortunately, earlier in the day I read a review of the movie in the Wheaton College newspaper that bothered me. The reviewer gave the movie an overall good rating except when he reviewed the movie "theologically." The reviewer said the movie didn't quite live up to its theological potential because it didn't emphasize heavily enough some of the "symbolism" in the story, especially the symbolism of turkish delight and sin. I almost gagged when I read this. I understand that there is subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) symbolism and metaphor throughout all of the Chronicles of Narnia, but why do some Christians feel like this is an automatic ticket to criticize a non-theological work theologically? Why can't we just enjoy and ponder Lewis' magical world apart from how it stands up theologically? I love the Chronicles of Narnia, and I appreciate its value as fantasy literature written by a Christian man who didn't separate his worldview from his work. I also loved the movie because it portrayed well the important themes from the book. I just don't understand why some Christians, especially many of the students at Wheaton College, have to theologically criticize a magical work of art that needs no "theological" framework to have merit in itself. Anyways, that's enough of my soap box. Go out and see the movie everyone, it is really good.

Shoes

2005-11-18T19:07:00.000-05:00

I love shoes. Call me a girl if you want, but there's just something about getting new shoes. I got a new pair of shoes in the mail today and the best part about it was that they were free. Free shoes are by far one of the best benefits to working in a shoe store, along with the hefty discount. Unfortunately, that hefty discount sometimes is the bane of my existence because it tempts me into buying another pair of shoes that I do not need whatsoever. I don't know what it is that draws me to a finely crafted pair of shoes, I just seem to have been born with a natural attraction to putting lots of different colored leathers on my feet. They just look so good (if you get the right ones of course; talk to me if you need any shoe buying advice). I have shoes in my side of the closet plus in a shoe organizer in a different closet which I think adds up to a significantly larger amount of shoes than my wife. This, of course, is quite the fuel for teasing as you can probably guess. In addition to loving shoes for myself, I love to look at other people's feet and see what they are wearing when we are out in public. Usually, especially if we are downtown Chicago, I see at least one pair of shoes that I would like to have. It really is a good thing I have a wife who is practical enough to keep me in line. Otherwise, I think I would have enough shoes to wear something different every day.

Pompeii

2005-11-08T18:26:00.000-05:00

We recently went to the Field Museum downtown Chicago to check out the new special exhibit called "Pompeii: Secrets from an Eruption." The exhibit was interesting and informative but rather small. Some of the highlights included a digital re-creation of some of the villas in Pompeii and Herculaneum (a nearby city), and several plaster and resin casts of people who had been buried under the surges from Mt. Vesuvius. The bodies were positioned exactly how they were when the surge came down from the mountain in AD 79. It really was quite fascinating. A major emphasis of the exhibit, however, focused on the wealth of Pompeii as evidenced by the possessions found on or near the dead bodies. Elaborate necklaces, earrings, and bracelets were found along with ornate rings and statuettes of gods or goddesses. These valuables and trinkets did not just happen to be on the people when they died. After the initial rain of ash, the Pompeiians had gone back to their homes to retrieve all of their "valuables" and then they were caught unawares by the sudden deadly surges of gas and ash. Basically, their insatiable greed caused their demise. It's interesting what you can learn about a culture when an entire city is destroyed in less than a day. All of this talk about personal valuables and impending disaster led me to think about what our culture would go back for if we were on the brink of destruction. It's that age-old question of what you would take if your house was on fire. Maybe it's our iPods or our video games or some other "valuable" trinket. How many of us would go back to try to help as many people as possible? I can't help but see so many parallels between our culture today and the culture of the "heathen" Pompeiians who worshiped their money, their gold, and their sexual eroticism. Sometimes I fear for this country and what people will say about us in thousands of years. Will we be another Pompeii, buried with our most precious possessions that take us nowhere?

A Wicked curse

2005-10-30T20:52:00.000-05:00

This weekend Melissa and I went to see the Broadway musical "Wicked" downtown Chicago. The show was incredible and probably one of the best musicals I have ever seen. The music was fantastic, as was the story and the acting. Ana Gasteyer of SNL fame played the Wicked Witch of the West, but the rest of the cast was relatively unknown. While we were glorying in the post-show exuberance, we were reminded of a nasty curse that has plagued us since freshman year of college. Those who have been to LCC know exactly what I'm talking about when I say that the IDS 101 curse hit us like a wave. For those of you who never attended LCC, the IDS 101 curse basically consists of the worldview analysis of all popular culture mainly manifested in books, movies, plays, etc. Despite my negative portrayal of this curse, I do feel there are times when it becomes very helpful. For example, "Wicked" was a purely postmodern play in that it devoted an entire song to moral relativity in addition to the plot being an instance of moral relativity in itself. I appreciate my "worldview eyes" when it comes to discerning how to accept and process the material presented. Before I go much further however, I want to clarify that I don't use my "worldview eyes" to condemn a piece of art that might portray something contrary to what I believe. I still enjoy many films, plays, etc. despite not agreeing with everything said or displayed. That said, I still was able to enjoy "Wicked" for its artistic value and its incredibly unique and entertaining storyline, and then constructively evaluate it without ruining the entire musical. (caution: spoilers ahead)So really, the "wicked" curse of IDS 101 isn't so wicked at all....hmmm, that sounds just a little bit familiar to the Wicked Witch of the West. Maybe it is all relative....

The table tennis scene

2005-10-24T16:45:00.000-05:00

I recently started my last quarter of classes at Wheaton College, and I have a new class although you probably couldn't really even call it a "class." This class is table tennis (not ping pong because there are copyright issues with that name apparently). It's my last class of the day on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday so it makes for a nice relaxing end to a day of real classes. What really makes the class interesting, however, is the teacher. Let me give you a brief background. You know that person who always thinks they're own jokes are hilarious and then stares everyone down expecting them all to laugh as well. That's my teacher in a nutshell. The first day of class was the most awkward experience ever because she would just start laughing at something completely random and then just take a trip around the class with her eyes, picking out certain people to stare at longer and all the while still laughing. Crazy. In addition to this, she is the most intense athlete I think I have ever met. She hates to lose and often likes to pick out the athletic boys in the crowd and make fools of them in public. Oh, and did I mention she dressed up as a uterus for halloween one year because she loves anatomy! Anyway, as you can probably tell, it's going to be an interesting quarter of table tennis playing, and who knows, maybe I'll actually learn something. At least I don't have to write any papers, and I get to listen to good (according to the teacher) table tennis music which consists of rap and dance techno. Who knew?

Baseball fever in Chicago

2005-10-08T21:19:00.000-05:00

The playoffs have come to Chicago, and it is quite exciting. The White Sox handily beat the Bosox in three no-competition games and prepare to meet the Angels (hopefully). Unfortunately, the success of the White Sox has caused a dilemma in my fan allegiances. Both sides of my family, my side and Melissa's side, have unbreakable bonds to the Cubs. I, on the other hand, have no such debilitating strong ties. Thus, with the White Sox playing well in the playoffs, I find it a pleasure and a duty to root for them based on the fact that I live in the Chicago area. However, I know that as soon as I make even an indication of my team choices to a family member, namely my in-laws, I will probably be roasted and eaten for dinner. This whole issue poses a serious question in my mind. Why is it that Chicago Cub fans can be so completely devoted to one team and loathe another team if both teams are from the same city? If the Cubs and the Sox were both in the same league, I could understand the animosity, but they're not! They are in completely different leagues. I am completely baffled by this question because I feel that as a baseball fan in general I can root for both the Cubs and the Sox and feel good about myself. I do know, however, that if I said this in any sports bar in the city of Chicago, I would also get roasted and eaten alive. So here I am in a ridiculous conundrum, trying to give credit to whom credit is due (namely, the Sox) and ending up on somebody's plate no matter what I say. Oh, the politics of Chicago (and the rest of Illinois really) baseball fans.

Lost

2005-09-16T10:25:00.000-05:00

Melissa and I have recently started renting and watching the show Lost in preparation for the start of the new season on Sept. 21st. The show, so far, is excellent, and I would recommend it to anyone. I really enjoy some of the themes that have come up in the show so far, such as fear, destiny, fate, and friendship. A recent development in the show has led me to a curious question. A scouting party has just found a source of fresh water in the jungle far away from the beach where their plane crashed on the unknown island. The survivors are forced into the decision of going to try and live in the cave at the water source or staying on the beach where there is a better chance for someone to see and rescue them. At this point, they have been on the island for over a week without any sign of rescue. At the end of the show, the group splits in two with some staying on the beach and others going into the jungle and the water supply. So, my question is which place would you go? I think I would go into the jungle because it would be easier to set up a camp there and work from that. Do you hold on to a frail hope or do you take advantage of what you have and see what you can do from there?

Fledgling Mechanic, Part 2

2005-09-09T08:59:00.000-05:00

Wow, it really has been a long time since I've last posted. The college life will do that I guess. If you all remember, I made a previous post about trying to fix Melissa's car and the absolute hilarity that ensued. Well, last week I went to get my oil changed and discovered that my brakes were worn down thin, and I was in critical need of new ones on all four wheels. Much to my chagrin, this was going to cost approximately 400 dollars (400 dollars we don't have, of course). Well, in my indignation, I said "it can't be that hard and I've got some friends who have done it before." So I called up Lucas to see what he was doing on Labor Day and we decided to get together to fix the brakes along with Luke's dad. The front brakes were no problem. We were done in less than 10 minutes per wheel. The rear brakes, however, were a different story. The rear brakes are shoe brakes and Luke's dad had never done shoe brakes before so we were on our own. We had to go borrow parts from another church member and even with those parts, it still took forever. The most interesting part about it was watching Lucas and his dad get frustrated with each other. We got them fixed, and they are working so far which is great because it saved us 300 bucks.

After this event, I was contemplating my recent surge of mechanical activity and realized that a person can really do anything when hard-pressed, especially if you know the right people. If I had had the money, I would have payed the mechanic no problem. But, desperation is a powerful force. It has worked twice for me now, at least with cars.

New Hamsters and Massholes

2005-08-17T11:08:00.000-05:00

Melissa and I just returned from our week long trip out to New Hampshire for Jeff's wedding. We had a great time seeing friends and some of the sites in Boston and the Manchester area. While we were out there visiting we picked up a new term. Masshole. This term is used by many of the local residents of New Hampshire to refer to residents of Massachussetts. We also heard the entire state of Massachussetts referred to as Massholia. Now, we have nothing against residents of Massachussetts, but we found this term quite funny and used it jokingly on our drive home across the entire state. However, we were thinking that it wasn't fair that New Hampshire didn't have a fun nickname so we started calling it New Hamster. Then, part way through our trek across Massholia, I randomly said "we are surrounded by Massholes and New Hamsters." As soon as I said it, I had an Adam Hughes epiphany and said "that would be great for a blog title." So here I am really just filling space in a blog so I could use the title "New Hamsters and Massholes." But, I have to admit it is a darn good title, and I bet it would even be a really good title for a collection of short stories based on experiences in New Hampshire and Massachussetts. Maybe I should write that. I bet I could gather some short stories from other various friends who have had some random crazy experience in one of those states. Ah, the creative sparks of a bored Midwesterner. This one was for you all you Massholes and New Hamsters.

Fledgling Mechanic

2005-08-04T11:14:00.000-05:00

Tuesday was the day from hell around the Tiearney household. Monday, the day before, Melissa's car overheated on the way home from work and fortunately she was able to make it home just in time. We thought we had gotten the water pump/coolant, etc. issue taken care of over the weekend when Melissa's home pastor spent some time putting in a new water pump. So much to our chagrin, here we were with an undrivable car and not much time to fix it. We called Melissa's pastor and he gave us some instructions. We had to get a part from the Chevy dealer and then bleed some air from someplace. I picked Melissa up from work and we went to the Chevy dealer but they didn't have the part we needed, which was just a small little freeze plug that went over a hole on the engine (apparently the other one got a hole and popped off). Then that Chevy dealer directed us to another Chevy dealer two towns over. Fortunately they had the part, so we bought two just in case we messed one up and because it was only 3 dollars total. Well, we did end up messing one up when we started trying to put it in. This led to a downward spiral of frustration and not knowing what to do, which culminated in another call to the pastor and a detailed walk-through of what we should do. At this point, it was already well past 9:00 PM and quite dark out. We finally got the plug in and then started opening this little vent to bleed out the air that built up in the tube connecting the coolant tank with the engine. Apparently this feature is an extreme rarity on cars, and it was something no one had ever heard of or seen before. We carefully opened the vent while talking to the pastor on the phone, but unfortunately it came open too far and went shooting straight up as a stream of hot coolant shot straight out of the hole. This left us in the worst predicament yet because without that cap, the car could in no way be driven. So we spent the next hour combing the parking lot around the car and the grass in front of the car with no luck. Extremely frustrated, I plopped down on the sidewalk with my head in my hands and just said a prayer that we could find this tiny little cap. After that, I got up once more to make another round with the flashlight and amazingly there it was laying on the pavement. I let out a little scream of ecstasy and put it back in its place. With that small cap back on, we were able to run the car a couple times in order to bleed out all the trapped air. Now it's running pretty well again with no problems yet. I never thought I would ever even attempt to do my own car work, and after doing it I don't think I want to do too much more. I do, however, have a much greater respect for mechanics. I don't have enough patience to deal with stupid car problems.

D@*n Yankees!

2005-07-27T11:20:00.000-05:00

Baseball season is now in full swing and the divisions are shaping up in a way that they will probably remain the rest of the season barring any miraculous winning or losing streaks. At the beginning of the season I was quite pleased with the way the New York Yankees were playing (or not playing). They were sitting nicely in 4th place with a losing record and I could not have been happier. For some reason, I have an ingrown hatred of the New York Yankees that I think came with me from the date of my birth. I was feeling pretty good about the Yankees so-called predicament until just recently when they somehow climbed into 2nd place in the American League East. Much to my chagrin, the imbeciles known as the New York Yankees were back in the playoff hunt. Just recently however, I was reflecting on this situation and realizing that I enjoy seeing the Yankees make it to the playoffs especially in recent years because I enjoy watching the torture on their faces as they choke yet again in the playoffs. It gives me great joy to watch them think they're going to win it all and then lose horribly as was the case last year. There's something about that situation that just gets my baseball blood flowing. I have nothing personal against the players themselves except that they chose to play for the New York Yankees and should therefore suffer the consequences. By choosing to play for the devil they put themselves beyond any reach of my respect. I often wished I could be a high-priced baseball player purely so I could be offered a contract from George (Satan) Steinbrenner and shove it back in his face and tell him to eat it. Unfortunately, that will never happen so I just end up venting my frustrations to my wife, who could care less unless it involved the Cubs, and on this blog. And now that I've finished writing this, I think I need counseling.

2005-07-14T14:02:00.000-05:00

Long time, no blog everyone. It's been almost a month since I have last graced the forum known as the blogging community, and I honestly haven't even had much time to even think about missing it. The life of a shoe salesman is hardly the most illustrious life, especially when you are working three or four nights a week and weekends. But, at least they pay me decently. We still have yet to get internet at our apartment, mainly because we're entirely sure who we would go with and whether we can afford it or not. This leaves me at the mercy of the occasional trip to Panera. And I don't want to make that a too common habit because the little expenses of bagels and drinks eventually add up when you go there multiple times a week. For now, I think it's down to about one trip to Panera a week max. I just don't have the time to be sitting in Panera for hours on end surfing the internet. It seems life is constantly busy with no letting up. Every weekend in July except for the first one has a wedding of either a close friend or family for me or Melissa. That makes it hard to relax on the weekends or anytime for that matter. I honestly am looking forward to the start of school again because it will mean a normal schedule and a little bit of predictability (something I lack in my work schedule). Plus, I'm just a geek and I like to learn. Who wouldn't be excited about reading Homer in the original Greek?! It really is amazing how much the internet kind of fades out of your life if you don't have immediate access to it. For a while, I thought the world was going to end because I couldn't check my email every day, but I soon figured out that life is more than sitting at a computer for hours in a day (unless your job requires it, of course). Life is going well otherwise. Melissa and I are doing great and loving married life as well as living in the Chicago area. There's just so much to do and not enough time to do it! So, for all of you frequent bloggers there's a little update on my life in case you were wondering if I completely disappeared into the oblivion known as obscurity. Hopefully, this can become a weekly deal. But who knows, you never who's going to up and decided to get married with two weeks notice! And with that, I sign off.

Friends aren't friends forever

2005-06-21T15:44:00.000-05:00

This past saturday my wife and I (I could say Melissa, but I still like the idea of saying "wife") went to my parents house in Wisconsin so we could go to an ice cream reception at my old church for all the people who weren't able to make it down to the wedding or for whoever wanted to come. We were hoping to get a few more gifts and we did, which was nice. A few of some of my closer friends from high school came, and it was really good to see them, but as soon as I started talking to them there was just no more connection. I found myself reverting to those lame questions about school and if they graduated this year. In those conversations I realized just how easy it is to completely lose contact with people who you really spent a lot of time with. There's no way I could really spend an extended amount of time with those guys anymore without it turning completely awkward. On the other hand, there are two guys I went to high school with and several friends from LCC who I can not talk to for a long time and then get back together and it's like no time has been lost. I know that there is a closeness in these relationships that cannot rival some of my high school relationships. However, I know that even those friendships, if not properly curated, can dwindle over time. Now that I am married it's time to find a balance between my wife and those friends who I don't want to lose contact with. Of course, my wife is my first priority, but I know I will still look forward to the occasional guys night (smash bros, nick and luke). And by the way, today is officially one month after our wedding, and I could not be happier.

Married

2005-06-10T11:49:00.000-05:00

I finally made it to Panera to post a blog. Apparently people have been craving some blogging from me, and I have to admit that I do miss it dearly. However, my wedding and my honeymoon took far greater precedent than sitting down to write a mere blog. As I write this I am again reminded of my new status in society: Married. Forevermore on all of my official documents I will check the box stating that I am a married man. No more will the word "single" be evident on my official record. Crazy, isn't it? But I will say it feels wonderful. Checkboxes on official documents aside, marriage is a beautiful blessing from our Creator who knew exactly what we needed to experience the closest thing humanly possible to a loving relationship with Him. Call me a sappy newlywed, but I truly believe it. However, considering that most of the people who read this blog are currently single, I will respect your singleness and not include the lovestruck rantings of a newlywed. And, honestly, most of those rantings I would rather not pronounce in a public forum such as this one. Basically, I'm just trying to say that I feel blessed by God in my new married life, and I will proudly check the "married" box on all of my official documents for the rest of my life.

A Brief Hiatus

2005-05-05T09:52:00.000-05:00

Well, the end of the school year is here which also means the end of high-speed internet. You never fully appreciate what a luxury it is until you are faced with not having it. Nevertheless, I wanted to say a short farewell to the blogging community, only temporarily hopefully, while we get situated at our new apartment after the wedding. We are not sure yet whether we will be able to afford internet right off the bat, but we are looking into some relatively inexpensive options that hopefully we can get set up quickly. Speaking of the wedding, it's hard to believe that it's only a little over 2 weeks away. I don't think that reality has really sunk in yet. Maybe once finals are over and I have nothing better to do for a while, the eminence of the wedding will make an impact.

So I will miss reading everyone's blogs for a while but I know it will not be long-lived, and the next time I blog I will be a married man!! Until we blog again, ciao!

Paula, or Paul?

2005-04-12T23:17:00.000-05:00

Today Melissa and I went to Jared: The Galleria of Jewelry to purchase our wedding rings. The experience began most pleasantly with a courteous offering of something to drink, but then I spotted something. From a distance I saw a woman standing behind one of the counters who had the obvious figure of a woman, but had a very noticeable mustache and beard fuzz. I turned to Melissa to comment about this odd circumstance, and as I did that, she started walking over to help us. I thought, "oh great, I'm not going to be able to keep a straight face." However, the plot thickened (literally, as in the hair on her arms) when she started talking. Her/his voice was rather low for a woman and sounded distinctly mannish. Then I noticed the arms. Oh the arms! They were almost as hairy as mine, and if you know me you know my arms are pretty hairy. And then the hands. Definitely the thick, meaty hands you frequently see on a man. As you can probably tell, our sales associate, Paula was her name, was very likely formerly Paul or maybe just Paul on the weekends, although there was no apparent attempt to hide the facial hair that would rival an 8th grade boy. Needless to say I was glad she/he did not try to touch my hands to fit the ring, but the whole experience made for an interesting evening and a funny blog story.

April showers bring May....returns?

2005-04-02T10:13:00.000-05:00

The gauntlet of March has finally passed over. March is always the month of crappy, unpredictable weather and time seems to drag on like nothing else (especially when you're getting married in less than two months). But April is finally here, the grass is getting green and the showers are starting to fall. That is bridal showers, of course. I have officially dubbed the month of April as shower month because there are three showers within four weeks, beginning tomorrow. Now, as a guy, I am not really all that interested in attending a get-together with other women from church, family, etc. so I can sit and listen to people talk about babies and play "shower" games. Now I am not at all opposed to showers based on the sole fact that we will be receiving many gifts of which I'm sure many will have to be returned or exchanged. Call me greedy, but the prospect of getting lots of stuff that is necessary for comfortable living is quite a promising idea. Fortunately, the only shower I have to attend is the one at my church this weekend, and even at that one I only have to come for the end to "receive advice from the ladies of my church about marriage." That's a whole nother ballgame. Part of me will be amused by the things we are told I'm sure, and the other part of me worries that some of the things people say may make the entire situation instantly awkward. Oh well, I will keep you informed on the progress of these showers. So, let's bring on the rain!

Apartments

2005-03-17T11:38:00.000-05:00

Saturday Melissa and I are going to go out and look at some apartments. We've been able to narrow the field down to just a couple using various internet websites and resources. Despite using the internet, I am still very uncofident in my ability to know what to say and do when actually talking with a landlord. What are some things I should look for when checking out an apartment? Is it more beneficial to have utilities included in the rent or to have a washer and dryer in the unit but no utilities paid? I am too new at this to really know what I am doing. Does anyone have any tips or suggestions for this whole finding an apartment deal?

Success

2005-03-08T11:33:00.000-05:00

Sorry it has taken so long to give an update, but I am home on spring break this week and computer access isn't as readily available as at school. In regards to the surgery, it was a grand success and the easiest surgery I have ever done. The surgery was on Friday and by Saturday morning I could see a perfect 20/20 in both eyes if not better. The whole process lasted 15 minutes max and the only discomfort I had was when I tried to sleep when I got home after the surgery. It burned quite a bit then, but otherwise I haven't felt a single thing. I still have some eyedrops that I have to put in through tomorrow and I can't swim for 2-3 weeks, but other than that I'm pretty much home free. It's a great feeling to wake up in the morning and be able to see. There's some times still where I feel like I need to take my contacts out but then I remember that I don't have to and it's great. I would definitely recommend the surgery to anyone who's thinking about doing it.

The Jitters

2005-03-03T23:37:00.000-05:00

It is the night before my eye surgery, and I am beginning to feel the nervousness. It is, after all, my eyes that are going under the laser tomorrow. Right now is a very bittersweet moment. There is the sweetness of no glasses or contacts, but at the same time there is the tension and the nervousness involved with any sort of surgery. Nervous or not, this surgery is going down tomorrow, so I bid thee farewell lenses and good riddance. I hope we do not meet again for a long time.

awkward situation

2005-02-24T11:49:00.000-05:00

This is very unusual for me to blog this often, but I had an experience yesterday that was definitely blogworthy. I sat down to eat with a friend of mine who is not a real close friend but I've hung out with him some, and after I got my food, he proceeded to vent about how he wasn't motivated anymore because he has no social life and no good friends. I didn't really know what to say or how to react. I tried gently prying further to discover what was causing these emotions, and that really didn't seem to lead anywhere.

In order to understand this guy, you have to realize that he's the type of person who will just stare blankly at you during a conversation if it's not about something he's interested in talking about. His main topics of conversation are theological arguments and paintballing and once he gets going on these topics he won't let up.

So anyway, I'm trying to talk to him about this, but it just isn't going anywhere. He just keeps looking at me, and I can tell that he is depressed. Finally, I got to the point where I felt like I was just preaching to him and not doing any good. Finally, I told him I would pray for him, but I don't know if that did any good either because most of the time when people say that they never actually do what they say. Maybe my just being there to listen to him get it off of his chest was helpful. I don't know....I don't like these situations. I don't think I could ever be a counselor.

glasses

2005-02-22T23:43:00.000-05:00

This weekend I had to start wearing my glasses again because a week from friday I am getting Lasik surgery and no foreign objects are supposed to be in my eyes, which includes contacts. Unfortunately, my glasses are a weaker prescription, which makes it a little harder to see especially at nighttime. In addition to being a weaker prescription, the glasses tend to slide down my nose giving me a nerdy appearance and forcing me to push them up frequently, further reinforcing the nerd image. Fortunately, a week from friday I will be completely free of any sort of lenses, and I just have to keep telling myself this to cancel out the negative effects of glasses. So if you're driving at night, beware of a little green Corolla in which the driver can't really see too well.

I hate Illinois

2005-02-14T09:43:00.000-05:00

Illinois sucks. Recently I filed my tax returns and got a good portion of my federal taxes back and all of my Wisconsin taxes back. And then there was Illinois. First off, I had to fill out a completely separate form because I'm not a resident. Then, they witheld 50 some dollars from my earnings which I figured I would receive back. I was mistaken, because when I filled out the tax form I had to pay all but one cent of what was taken out of my checks. One cent! How ridiculous is that? Is it some sort of ploy to make you think you're getting a refund even when you really aren't? Well, I hope the American Tooth-brushing Association or whatever enjoys the one cent donation that I will give to them. Maybe they can use it to buy one bristle. Illinois sucks.

Latin mass

2005-02-06T16:00:00.000-05:00

So today I attended a Latin High Mass for church. I didn't really have any expectations coming into it because I didn't really know what to expect. The church building itself was absolutely beautiful. It was incredibly ornate and beautifully decorated. We took booklets that had the Latin and the English on opposing pages so we could follow along, but most of the speaking was done by the priest so that no one could hear what was being said. There is so much tradition evident in the liturgy that I wonder if anyone really knows what it means anymore. It seems like people just stand up and sit down at certain times and sit and watch the priest read from a book and prepare the Holy Sacraments. I guess I really don't know enough about the Catholic church to make any real judgements. I think that maybe that is just the way some people meet God. Anyone have any thoughts on that?

here i go

2005-01-26T23:07:00.000-05:00

So I decided to give this whole blog thing a go. It seems pretty kickin' so far. I've never been much for writing down my thoughts but I thought hey it's worth a try. I have so many friends with blogs I was beginning to feel left out...oh well, now I'm not left out anymore. Hopefully this will help me keep in contact with people I haven't seen in forever.