The Realm of Possibility

Life or Pancakes?

2010-07-22T17:54:00.008-05:00

Love this little exchange in the movie, Stranger Than Fiction, after Dr. Hilbert (played by Dustin Hoffman) has just told Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) that his impending death is inevitable so Harold should go and do some of the things he's always wanted to do until his certain demise takes him. Harold's first thought, of course, is that he wants to live.

Dr. Jules Hilbert: Hell Harold, you could just eat nothing but pancakes if you wanted.

Harold Crick: What is wrong with you? Hey, I don't want to eat nothing but pancakes, I want to live! I mean, who in their right mind in a choice between pancakes and living chooses pancakes?

Dr. Jules Hilbert: Harold, if you pause to think, you'd realize that that answer is inextricably contingent upon the type of life being led... and, of course, the quality of the pancakes.

Truth of the matter is, much of the time, I may as well be eating the pancakes. Now, I'm not saying that I, or anyone else for that matter, need to be running down a daily/weekly/monthly to-do list, and certainly not someone else's to-do list, to fulfill some nebulous life productivity requirement. That's just spinning wheels... well, a lot of the time it is. Often times, the right thing to do might be to... take a nap, complete a Sudoku, or be still and know that God Is. However, way too much of my time seems to be spent just making the hours go by until it's finally time to do that one thing I've been waiting to do. In the meantime, I miss so much.

There were several times when I was younger and even more recently, I promised myself, "I'm going to stop taking so much for granted. This is life. Live it." Broken promises. Some things, sure, I throw myself into - at least when I'm of that mindset. But there's always so much else i could be doing.

I always say I want to be writing novels, songs, shorts -- yet I'll go weeks without writing.

People I love and care for have asked me to pray diligently for them -- I'll go days or weeks without praying.

I want to fish more -- but I don't ever go fishing.

I've sworn I'm going to learn to play that guitar in my room -- but I hardly touch it.

I've got friends -- but they reach out to me far more than I reach to them.

I say "I love you, God" -- but keep Him at arm's length.

Now, I've gotten pretty good at some video games, and I can probably win a few television trivia contests. And please, quiz me on Dolphin football, Reds baseball, or Auburn sports. In and of themselves, all of those things are alright - and some uniquely part of me. But here's a confession - since I was divorced, I moved into a house in a neighborhood and have lived there almost two years... and I can't tell you the name of one other person (except the last names of the neighbors to my left because their name's on their mailbox and sometimes I get their mail) in the whole dad gum neighborhood. Well, maybe one or two of the kids - but that's it. We're to love our neighbors -- and everyone's our neighbors -- but hell, Rich, your neighbors are your neighbors!!!

That stack of pancakes is starting to look awful good.

In the end, I guess I can sum it up in a famous one-liner from another great movie:

Andy Dufresne: Get busy living, or get busy dying.

Unidentified Flying Object Over China

2010-07-15T22:38:00.007-05:00

Starting with: If videos are legit --

--something weird happened in China, "they" say. Here are more words and video links regarding the mysterious vessel hovering around the skies over the Xiaoshan Airport, shutting the airport down and stopping flights for an extended period of time (about an hour). There're all kinds of Internet stories on this one - just Google "UFO Over China 2010" and you're there.

A couple of other statements should be made here:

Trust No One

Believe Nothing

Smile!

Trying to Invent Our Own Party Game

2010-07-15T17:06:00.008-05:00

Through the years, at all of our family get-togethers, reunions, and such, we've done the party game thing with games such as Trivial Pursuit, Taboo, Apples to Apples, Wits and Wagers, Scattergories, Pictionary... the list goes on and on.

A weekend or so ago with all my family in town, we went out and procured three relatively newer ones: Loaded Questions, Pass the Popcorn, and Would You Rather... All were fun in their own ways and got us laughing, joking, and poking at each other... and then it got me to thinking -- I need to come up with one of these games. How hard can it be?

Brainstorming, my first and probably best thought - MUSIC!!! - I wasn't aware of any party game out there using music as its focus. Many of us go online and play the 80s or 90s or 2000s music trivia quizzes and that's fun, but how about rolling all that into a party game? And then, there used to be the game show "Name That Tune", and why not steal some elements of that. And then on the 101 station (DirecTV), I flipped across a quirky little game show: Rock and a Hard Place, where the Bay City Rollers were taking on Leif Garret and cronies in a new little game show. One of the interesting things they did there was give one contestant a kazoo, and he had to play a relatively famous song with the little instrument for his other team members to guess. Something like that to throw in a party game would be really cool, fun, and would really garner the guffaws. Think about it! Your crazy cousin blowing on a kazoo to some Dionne Warwick, Ten CC, or Rick James tune at which everyone could guess and mostly get wrong. Everyone'd be rolling in laughter all the while punching the cousin for his utter lack of musical talent!

So maybe you could have cards where contestants guess at songs with four to six categories (i.e Lyric Snippet, Song Facts, Kazoo Tune, and we'd have to think of a couple more), and you'd have a color-coated board path corresponding with each of the categories. You could have cards, or better yet - game versions, with differing types of music (i.e. classic rock, pop, country, alternative, etc.). The board would have a path to the Grand Stage where we'd need a cool final game twist for a person to win -- we'll have to think about that.

Alright, so I've gotten the ball rolling. Can anyone help me out here? Or maybe you have a better game that's not about music at all. Use your imagination. I am looking for board games, for the most part, rather than something like bouncing-a-quarter-off-a-tabletop-into-a-shot-glass-else-you-drink type of fun and frolic. And I'll keep at it, too.

Surely... surely, we can come up with something fun and ingenious! Then, we'll patent it, and anyone who responded in the comments can become millionaires along with us when the game sales royalties start waterfalling in. Here we go!

Wanda Said the Blog Was Languishing!!! Quick Robin! To the Bat Blog!

2010-07-14T11:37:00.003-05:00

Of course, Wanda made that comment back in late June and now it's mid-July. And the last post was in April. Ugh. Maybe it's worse than languishing. Maybe, it's just plain dead.

But that's okay. We'll be Zombieblog.

Just a few tidbits:

No idea where Ken is at this moment. For all I know, he's ZombieKen.
There is no worse food trifecta than mayonnaise, Spaghettios, and sugar beets. Good luck trying.
Toy Story 3 & Despicable Me were both very cute and worth seeing, although I have to say, taking a family to the movies is no longer a fiscally reasonable thing to do. I do it anyway, but it's cheaper, for instance, to go see a pro baseball game. That said, I'm gonna be seeing Inception very soon.
Speaking of baseball, the Cincinnati Reds are in first place at the All-Star Break! Go Reds!
And sportswise, the Miami Dolphins open training camp in less than two weeks - HURRAY!!!
Psych, Season 5, starts... TONIGHT!!!

We'll just see where blogging takes me here in the next few days, weeks, and months. It sure would be nice to be disciplined about something, so there you go!

Eyjafjallajokull Volcano

2010-04-26T06:15:00.006-05:00

Just thought I'd share a link someone shared with me with pictures of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano eruptions. The power of nature as created by God - these pictures are awesome, terrible, cool, amazing, scary, and wonderful. Prayers, hope, and goodwill to all, especially the Icelanders and Europeans, affected by these eruptions.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/04/more_from_eyjafjallajokull.html?

Hope you like the pictures.

Church Sign: Death and Taxes

2010-04-15T00:00:00.003-05:00

A local church here in Huntsville has a sign up that reads:

Death and Taxes - Are you ready for both?

My answer to that is: only for death. It's April 15th, and I still need to finish my taxes. Hopefully, all you mature, independent, patriotic citizens of these United States are a little better off than me in those particular pursuits (maturity, independence, patriotism, etc.).

For what it's worth, here I am blogging at midnight. I have to laugh because there just aren't any good excuses.

Dorkman-Related

2010-04-14T23:49:00.003-05:00

Not that it matters much over here at the Realm, but Ken was good enough to (re-)lay-out our sister-blog, The Dorkman Cometh, as we're hoping to get more author visits and spread the word about our fine, ingenious and socially-relevant novel on a larger scale than it has been.

Also, today and tomorrow we will have been at ALLA, the Alabama Librarians Association conference held here at the Von Braun Civic Center in Huntsville, AL. In case you passed by, Ken was the one with the "DORK" shirt!!!

Merlin

2010-04-05T16:39:00.005-05:00

Has anyone else watched or been watching any of this little BBC show called Merlin?

One of my son's really into fanstasy stories, and I told him about Merlin a few months ago while watching the show last year Sunday nights on NBC before football started. Since, NBC has dropped the show, but the SyFy Channel scooped it up. Anyhow, he watched his first Merlin show last Friday and really loved it.

The premise is essentially a reboot of the King Arthur legend beginning when Arthur and Merlin were in their teens a la Smallville and the Superman saga -- in fact, the show's producer commented that Smallville was quite an influence for Merlin. In the show, King Uther Pendragon, has outlawed all sorcery in Camelot. Meanwhile, Merlin is a magical being serving a snooty but good-hearted Prince Arthur for the good of Camelot that comes under all kinds of attacks that are going to take some of Merlin's magic to defeat. The building of the Arthur/Merlin friendship is a key part of the show. Also, Camelot regulars Guinevere and Morgana are invloved, and guest appearances by Lancelot, an imprisoned magical golden dragon, and some of the other figures in the Camelot legends should be expected.

I haven't watched too many episodes, but each one I've seen has been really entertaining and totally family-friendly -- unless you're just dead-set against the "magic" issue, which I realize some people are or you're very hard core on limitations to the Arthurian legend because this one takes its liberties. Also, most of the actors and actresses in the series are newcomers, so you're seeing them essentially as the role they're playing, which is cool.

Also, for anyone interested, Year One of Merlin comes out on DVD beginning April 20th. I ordered it for my son for Easter here at Amazon. If you're looking for a fun, family-friendly show, check out Merlin - Friday nights at 9:00 p.m. CST on SyFy. I recommend it!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T11:48:00.004-05:00

Sunday comes! Jesus lives! The Resurrection and the Life. Believe!!!

Where I Fall Short

2010-04-03T14:53:00.004-05:00

Just a very, very few of the areas where I fall short:

Love for others. Honesty. Hard work. Friendliness. Loyalty. Faithfulness. Personal discipline. Pridefulness. Anger. Parental guidance. Spiritual discipline. Listening. Broken vows. Dietary concerns. Being a neighbor. Hard-heartedness. Prioritizing. Competitiveness and fair play. Showing grace. Boundaries. Stewardship. Following through. Foul language. Sympathy. Lustfulness. Kindness. Self-indulgence. Bearing others' burdens. Protecting my own heart. Prayer. Apathy. Love for God.

So I confess, work on, and pray about those things where I'm the one holding the hammer and driving the nails. On the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter, those sins haunt me. But for all those things... Jesus died. And Easter Sunday's coming.

Groovesharkin'

2010-04-01T16:37:00.007-05:00

After receiving my message from management of having my Pandora music cut down to 40 hours per month, I was informed by oft commenter and pal, Douglas, about Grooveshark. It's sort of the next step up from Pandora, in my opinion, as listeners can create their own playlist. It's like having my own Ipod at work. Bannerman! I've got one ninety [*edited - now up to 111]songs long right now, and I'm gonna list if for you -- in order -- and see if you can get a little list going that's better than mine. It certainly doesn't have to be as long as mine. Also, you're welcome to flame me for some of my poorer choices.

1. Burden, The Connells

2. Slide, The Goo Goo Dolls

3. Bare, Matt Nathanson

4. The Lust, the Flesh, the Eyes, and The Pride of Life - 77s

5.Pickin' It Up - Hot Hot Heat

6. I Was Wrong - Social Distortion

7. Nod Over Coffee - Mark Heard

8. Love Your Mind - The Choir

9. Suspicious Minds - Elvis Presley

10. Train in Vain - The Clash

11. Just Like Heaven - The Cure

12. Deep End - 77s

13. Shimmer - Fuel

14. Mr. Tambourine Man - The Byrds

15. I Don't Like Mondays - Boomtown Rats

16. The Best of Jill Hives - Guided by Voices

17. When the World Gets Weak - Warren Zanes

18. Since Your Gone - The Cars

19. Where the Streets Have No Name - U2

20. Don't Forget to Dance - The Kinks

21. The Waiting - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

22. That Ain't Right - Pete Droge and the Sinners

23. Where Do the Children Go - Hooters

24. Dulce Et Decorum Est - Matthew Ryan

25. Hold on Hope - Guided by Voices

26. Wither, I'm a Flower - Whiskeytown

27. I Must Be High - Wilco

28. All These Things That I've Done - The Killers

29. Bent - Matthew Nathanson

30. If You Don't Love Me (I'll Kill Myself) - Pete Droge

31. I Don't Love You - Lost Dogs

32. Middle of the Road - The Pretenders

33. Bizarre Love Triangle - New Order

34. There She Goes - Sixpence None the Richer

35. Breathe - Michelle Branch

36. The Adventure - Angels and Airwaves

37. What's My Age Again - Blink 182

38. Lurgee - Radiohead

39. Time After Time - Cyndi Lauper

40. Hard Luck Woman - Kiss

41. Can't Help Falling in Love With You - Lick the Tins

42. It Could Be Worse - Matthew Ryan

43. Waiting to Derail - Whiskeytown

44. Left of the Dial - The Replacements

45. World Class Fad - Paul Westerberg

46. Truth Is - Sister Hazel

47. Jam - Toad the Wet Sprocket

48. Easier - Glen Phillips

49. When You Say Nothing at All - Allison Krauss

50. Does Your Mother Know - ABBA

51. Wolfgang - Pete Droge and the Sinners

52. Mr. Brightside - The Killers

53. Big Brown Eyes - Old 97s

54. Fallen World - Altar Boys

55. The Sunny Side of the Street - The Pogues

56. Camera One - Josh Joplin Group

57. That Much Further West - Lucero

58. Disappointed - The Connells

59. Saturday Night - Bay City Rollers

60. Nearly Lost You - Screaming Trees

61. Thunder Island - Jay Ferguson

62. That Thing You Do - The Wonders

63. Wedding Day - Rosie Thomas

64. New Madrid - Uncle Tupelo

65. Garden Days - Jolene

66. I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend - The Ramones

67. Basket Case - Green Day

68. Superman's Song - Crash Test Dummies

69. Alcoholiday - Teenage Fanclub

70. Ain't That Enough - Teenage Fanclub

71. Stone Cold Yesterday - The Connells

72. Always Saturday - Guadacanal Diary

73. Compositions of the Young and Old - Bob Mould

74. Girlfriend in a Coma - The Smiths

75. Vacation - The GoGos

76. Bonzo Goes to Bitburg - The Ramones

77. I Know You Know - Friendly Indians

78. Offer - Vigilantes of Love

79. Now as the Train Pulls Away - Bill Mallonee and Vigilantes of Love

80. Sing Me Sweet - Matt Nathanson

81. Welcome Back - John Sebastian

82. Do You Believe in Magic - The Lovin' Spoonful

83. All She Said - Toad the Wet Sprocket

84. P.S. - Toad the Wet Sprocket

85. Angels We Have Heard on High - Sixpence

86. If She Knew What She Wants - The Bangles

87. It's Raining Again - Supertramp

88. Brim Full of Asha - Cornershop

89. For Blue Skies - Strays Don't Sleep

90. Back into Your World - Son Volt

[*edited to 111

91. Feel the Pain - Dinosaur Jr.

92. Competition Smile - Gin Blossoms

93. To Call My Own - Golden Smog

94. Speed of Sound - Coldplay

95. Sick of Myself - Matthew Sweet

96. A Little Is Enough - Pete Townsend

97. Do It for Love - 77s

98. You Know That Is Nothing New - Vigilantes of Love

99. In a Big Country - Big Country

100. Build Me Up Buttercup - The Foundations

101. December - Collective Soul

102. Accidentally in Love - Counting Crows

103. The Things We Do for Love - 10cc

104. Blue Jean - David Bowie

105. Secondhand News - Fleetwood Mac

106. Surrender - Cheap Trick

107. Don't You (Forget about Me) - Simple Minds

108. Back on the Chain Gang - The Pretenders

109. Save It for a Rainy Day - The Jayhawks

110. First Date - Blink 182

111. That Thing You Do - The Wonders

okay, I'll stop adding - at least to the post - now :) ]

I list all these, not so you know what a goober I am with my musical choices, but rather so that you can see that Grooveshark's catalog of songs tha you can choose through is extensive. And all types of music are available. You want classical, R&B, soul, rap, country, Christian, metal... they're all there. You want 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s... all there. Like Pandora, there's a "Radio" button you can hit, and it has some kind of formula that tries to see what your tastes are and add songs that are similar. Actually, there are a lot of features as I'm just getting started. Anyway, wanted to let everyone know.

Let me know what I should add to my list as well.

Spamania

2010-03-29T17:27:00.002-05:00

Interesting how much spam we've gotten in our comments that I rejected since we took off from blogging. I just deleted at least twentysomething ridiculous spam-ments.

Alright, I should be back blogging here in the next day or so. Stay tuned. All one of you.

Picture of a Tornado Over My Church

2010-01-23T16:18:00.003-06:00

A tornado touched down here in Huntsville a couple of days ago about a mile from my old house. Someone caught this picture of the tornado with my church (First Baptist - Huntsville) in the foreground. Really cool picture, but a little disturbing, too. What do you think?

Headlines

2010-01-20T10:43:00.055-06:00

These have been making the rounds on the Net (some of them are old), but they're funny enough that I thought I'd post for those who haven't seen them. I took out a couple. Even some of the ones I left in are a bit crass... but then, they're funny too!

For the record, if police are arresting folks with crack between their buttocks, I had to shower at the gym after playing basketball yesterday, and I'm here to tell you: there are A LOT of criminals down there! Hope you enjoyed these! If there are any "Headlines" you think are funny and are willing to share, post them in the comments. Please and thanks!

2010 Is Rucking, Rhaggy

2010-01-19T09:09:00.003-06:00

Can someone PUUUUUUUH-LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAZZZE beat the New York Jets?

Let me just say that if both the Crimson Tide win the National Championship, and the Jets win the Super Bowl in the same year, my head is gonna explode like that guy from the movie Scanners. No. That's a calm understatment of what my head will do.

Somebody wake me please and tell me it was all ONE BIG NIGHTMARE!

Haiti - E-mail from a Missionary

2010-01-15T13:42:00.003-06:00

Was forwarded this e-mail from my cousin's wife. It's from my Aunt Dorothy, who is a missionary in Haiti, working with orphans and children whose parents cannot afford to take care of them (heavy emphasis on children with HIV/AIDS). She works for Christian Light Foundation, which I'm linking. A minute ago I was thinking what a disaster it was that I didn't have anything in my fridge to eat tonight when I go home. Then, I read this. Puts things in perspective and sums up what's going on down there. Even though I don't know anyone else she references, I don't need to add anything; I get the picture. Here's a copy of the e-mail:

Jan 15 2010

We survived the earthquake, all of us. PRAISE GOD!!!!!!

Amanda, Natasha and I were just arriving at Sacred Heart Hospital (CDTI) near what we think was the strongest area of the quake. Jesula, our nanny who had been with Poutchino at the hospital, was collapsing on the ground outside, in shock. Natasha ran inside for Poutchino. We parked the car. A man carried Jesula to the car. She was frozen with fear.

Hospital patients were brought outside, injured people came in thru the gate. All hospital personnel worked thru the night and next day with barely a break. Amanda and I took turns holding a flashlight for a surgeon stitching wounds and gradually learned how to do more. Natasha had to stay in the car holding Poutchino.

Some people were beyond help: the doctors gave them medicines for pain and treated those they could help. I counted about 40 people who died during the 24 hours we were there, all ages. Security manned the gate, only letting in the injured people that the doctor felt they could help.
Generators lit the parking lot. It seemed like a scene from hell with all the moans and screams and cries for help and the ground covered with injured people and blood. People panicked at every aftershock. Burns were the worst injuries but thankfully few.

Communications were cut off -- no one could find out about the rest of their loved ones. We had to try hard not to imagine the terribles thing that might have happened to our children and staff. Rumors trickled in about the buildings that had crashed. A rumor started that a tsunami was coming and we had to leave.

Heroes were everywhere. Groups of people sang and prayed and praised God for sparing so many. Doctors and nurses barely stopped to rest thru the night and well into the next day. Pain pills and shots were given freely. Every injured person got a shot of ampicillin. I gave shots, too. The hospital emptied its shelves, giving everything they had to help people. The strong carried the weak. Everyone comforted everyone else. People walked around praying for others. Two people scoured the streets for anything that could be used as splints. I am still amazed and glad that I had donated blood just that morning! We saw God working in us and all around us.
We finally were able to leave the hospital Wednesday afternoon, bring Poutchino with us. Collapsed buildings, wrecked and crushed cars, blood and bodies were everywhere. Coming home was such a blessing! No one was injured, the house was intact! Hallelujah! sweet relief!

Praise God we had just received new supplies of antibiotics. We gave most of them plus a lot of gauze and tape, tylenol and ibuprofen, needles, and IV sypplies to a clinic set up in our neighborhood. We had a little bit left over to give to Healing Hands this morning, and sent home some gauze and soap with a nanny for her injured grandmother.

Poutchino definitely had meningitis but there was no more infection by the time the CSF was tested. Considering the chaos at the hospital we brought him home with us. His abdominal pain is completely gone. He can eat again. I give him 1 gram of ceftriaxone every 12 hours hoping to keep the meningitis from returning. Infection could be hiding in his shunt. An operation to remove the shunt would be difficult to get now.

For those of you who know our staff, Claudia's leg is broken and her house destroyed. Jesula and her family are safe but their house was destroyed and they are staying here. Leonne's home was destroyed and she is staying here. Eva's house was destroyed but she has another place to stay. Suzette's house was destroyed: she can't come to work. Rosemanie is fine. Bb was thrown from a truck during the earthquake and was injured but is doing okay. She was on her way to work the overnight shift. The other ladies who were here took care of everything. They worked very very hard. Our staff is fantastic!

Both of our usual grocery stores, Caribbean and One Stop, were destroyed. We haven't heard what happened to the people inside. Those were the only places we could cash checks. Gas stations arent open yet. We heard that Sherrie Fausey's building partially collapsed and one child was killed. Sherrie and Julie are fine. Karen Bultje and her kids are fine. Nikki, who went to live with Roberta, was killed by a falling wall. Roberta and all other children are okay. Pastor CJ came by this morning to see if we were okay. He said Pastor Leny and his family are okay. Pastor Genada called. They were in Port au Prince during the quake and a block fell on his daughter's leg. They had to go all the way back to Gonaives to get help for her. Karen Bultje is still being an angel of mercy for as long as her diesel fuel holds out: she brought us several cases of pop tarts so we have breakfast for a while. Dottie was temporarily trapped in her house but is okay now. Nickson and Ivens and their families are okay. Deedee, the Boyers and the Olssons are okay. Barb Lataillade's foot was nearly amputated. The U.S. military got her out to Jacksonville, Florida for care.. Our pediatrician called to check on us.

Phones are starting to work again but not yet normally.. Helicopters are flying overhead all the time, and small planes. The U.S. military is running the airport now. Civilian flights are all canceled. UN police are in charge of security. Not much is seen of Haitian police, I don't know why. I expect, hope, that relief supplies will come in soon. Our biggest concerns at the moment are cooking fuel and water.

We all are fighting shock, trying not to be overwhelmed with grief and horror. I am trying to plan without being overwhelmed with worry. PRAYER AND PRAISES REALLY WORK TO KEEP SPIRIT UP! Remembering what God has already done in protecting and providing for us reassures me that He will continue to provide for our needs. I am so thank Natasha and Amanda were with me at the hospital and that Natasha can stay here for a while to help.
I have heard that maybe 100,000 people died. I can believe it based on what I have seen. I heard that the earthquake was 7.3 on the Richter scale. We need news from outside but please keep emails strictly to news. We have to use our precious supplies of gasoline to get online. Since we have no place to cash checks I have to work with Christian Light Foundation to find a way to get money to us.

Please pray for all of us in Haiti and for all those sending and bringing help.

Dorothy Pearce

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." I Cor. 13:13

Faith-Hope-Love Infant Rescue
http://dorothypearcehaiti.blogspot.com/

Donations:
Christian Light Foundation, Inc.
P.O.. Box 23881
Jacksonville FL 32241-3881
Memo: For D. Pearce, Haiti

Lists Rich Doesn't Make -- Reprised

2010-01-02T23:42:00.003-06:00

Once, a good while back, I claimed on this blog that I wasn't a list-maker. In general, in life, that's true. I don't make many, and my life certainly isn't governed by them. However, blogging being what it is, Ken, our semi-resident Diabolical Genius, pointed out how many times I had posted lists here in The Realm of Possibility just to show me the humorous irony of my words.

Well, guess what?! It's the New Year. What's that mean besides the fact that I'll be receiving my W-2 within the month and get to start dreading tax returns? It means RESOLUTIONS, of course. In an effort to try to maintain some semblance of truth here on the blog to my claim of not being much of a list-guy, I'm going to keep my resolutions short and sweet this year. Without further ado, they are:

Spend more time with God. Just time. Presence. Prayer. Bible Study.
Write. Plot and write. Get back in sync with Ken in our writing efforts.
Learn how to play the guitar. That's right. I'm 43. It's time I knew.
Curb my television watching.

Short list, but for me, believe it or not, it's tough. Very tough. Each one of those requires self-discipline, which is one life requirement of which I'm sorely lacking. The root of so many of my personal ills. Without it, though, I feel like I just skate through life without much meaning. And that's the mark of too much of my life.

New Year, new beginnings, however, and all that good stuff. So cheers.

Alright. Your turn. New Year's resolutions anyone?

A Song Posting

2009-12-31T10:42:00.003-06:00

Obviously, anyone who has read this blog for some period of time knows that the music I'm usually most interested in, lyrically-speaking, is music that chronicles the human journey but often incorporates the spiritual (Christian) aspect. I don't listen to the radio that much, so I'm usually late coming across songs, and such is the case here - so you've probably heard the song. Nonetheless, I heard Carolina Liar's Show Me What I'm Looking For for the FIRST TIME last night, and I immediately thought I'd post it on the blog.

For me, the message is pretty simple. I'm all mixed up and messed up. I need the Lord. Don't know if that's the songwriter's (songwriters'?) message per se, but that's what I derived from it. And in general, that pretty much sums it up for me on my own human journey.

Hope you enjoy!

Sherlock Hemlock

2009-12-29T17:42:00.007-06:00

Got an e-mail from the Diabolical Genius today. I've copied and will paste it:

Saw Sherlock Holmes movie. It was great. Highly recommend it.

Brief and to the point. That's our Ken!

Waitasec! Do I have the right picture here. Oh no. Wait. This is better. Here we go:

Edit: And this is why we love Ken! For his on-the-spot reviews!

On his word, I went and saw Sherlock Holmes last night, and I thought it was fantastic. Really enjoyed the interplay between Holmes and Watson. Rachel McAdams played Irene Adler very well. And the spin to make Holmes and Watson more physical instead of merely cerebral both modernized the characters and made for a more action-oriented film, which I enjoyed. Lastly, there was Holmes nemesis, Moriarty, lurking in the background for a possible sequel, and director Guy Ritchie did a swell job of keeping him in the background yet making him seem the most menacing and dangerous of all the villians.

So, two thumbs up for Sherlock Holmes from the guys at The Realm!

How Do the Presents Get There?

2009-12-24T09:37:00.009-06:00

You're all probably well aware of the physics to debunk Santa Claus. If not, here's one of many links to what was originally a cynic's argument to do just that, with quite a few rebuttals from physicists, engineers, mathematicians, and other folks that likely did not want the lump o' coal in their stocking. I'm not going to print all the rebuttals (although a couple of them warrant perusement), but I will print the original assertions below.

1) No known species of reindeer can fly. BUT there are 300,000 species of living organisms yet to be classified, and while most of these are insects and germs, this does not COMPLETELY rule out flying reindeer which only Santa has ever seen.

2) There are 2 billion children (persons under 18) in the world. BUT since Santa doesn't (appear) to handle the Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and Buddhist children, that reduces the workload to 15% of the total - 378 million according to Population Reference Bureau. At an average (census) rate of 3.5 children per household, that's 91.8 million homes. One presumes there's at least one good child in each.

3) Santa has 31 hours of Christmas to work with, thanks to the different time zones and the rotation of the earth, assuming he travels east to west(which seems logical). This works out to 822.6 visits per second. This is to say that for each Christian household with good children, Santa has 1/1000th of a second to park, hop out of the sleigh, jump down the chimney, fill the stockings, distribute the remaining presents under the tree, eat whatever snacks have been left, get back up the chimney, get back into the sleigh and move on to the next house. Assuming that each of these 91.8 million stops are evenly distributed around the earth (which, of course, we know to be false but for the purposes of our calculations we will accept), we are now talking about .78 miles per household, a total trip of 75-1/2 million miles, not counting stops to do what most of us must do at least once every 31 hours, plus feeding and etc. This means that Santa's sleigh is moving at 650 miles per second, 3,000 times the speed of sound. For purposes of comparison, the fastest man-made vehicle on earth, the Ulysses space probe, moves at a poky 27.4 miles per second - a conventional reindeer can run, tops, 15 miles per hour.

4) The payload on the sleigh adds another interesting element. Assuming that each child gets nothing more than a medium-sized lego set (2 pounds), the sleigh is carrying 321,300 tons, not counting Santa, who is invariably described as overweight. On land, conventional reindeer can pull no more than 300 pounds. Even granting that "flying reindeer" (see point #1) could pull TEN TIMES the normal amount, we cannot do the job with eight, or even nine. We need 214,200 reindeer. This increases the payload - not even counting the weight of the sleigh - to 353,430 tons. Again, for comparison- this is four times the weight of the Queen Elizabeth.

5) 353,000 tons traveling at 650 miles per second creates enormous air resistance - this will heat the reindeer up in the same fashion as space crafts re-entering the earth's atmosphere. The lead pair of reindeer will absorb 14.3 QUINTILLION joules of energy. Per second. Each. In short, they will burst into flame almost instantaneously, exposing the reindeer behind them, and create deafening sonic booms in their wake. The entire reindeer team will be vaporized within 4.26 thousandths of a second. Santa, meanwhile, will be subjected to centrifugal forces 17,500.06 times greaterthan gravity. A 250-pound Santa (which seems ludicrously slim)would be pinned to the back of his sleigh by 4,315,015 pounds of force.

In conclusion - If Santa ever DID deliver presents on Christmas Eve, he's dead now.

Now, not sludging into much of the fallacious reasoning asserted in this argument (i.e. flying reindeer only being credited with pulling 10 times the amount of non-talking, non-flying reindeer [HUH???], the incredibly high [these days] amount of children on the "naughty list", omitting elvin assistance [and all that implies], etc.), any essay containing both the words "Santa" and "joules" -- although "Santa" and "payload" deserves it's due credit -- within should be summarily dismissed. Has no one learned the folly of the Burgermeister Meisterburger and the distribution of Christmas toys?

Flying reindeer, dragging what must be an incredibly gargantuan sleigh, that somehow avoid all the anti-aircraft, fighter jets, ground-to-air missles that have to come along with the job in this Call of Duty Modern Warfare Age; magical, toy-making elves (and "toy-making" is a loose term that denotes all the modern techno gadgetry in which these sprites have quite possibly led the Technological Age) that abide in a sub-zero degree climate and darkness most of the year; a crystal ball that illuminates the activities of roughly 2.9 billion children twenty-four hours a day, seven-days a week, 364 days a year not including Christmas - and 365 on Leap Years; ten zillion presents a year both packed and taken out in a logical child-by-child order starting at the first house in Japan (according to the NORAD tracker) to the last house in Hawaii, including automobiles for sixteen year olds, weights and benches for athletes, pre-assembled drum sets, bikes, toy trains, etc., that are somehow encased (and rarely broken) in an unbreakable burlap sack that miraculously stays in an uncovered sleigh going near or at the speed of light; a five hundred lb., one-thousand year old Kringle that spryly slides down and nimbly clambers back up chimneys with the greatest of speed, agility, and ease (or slips in windows when chimneys are not of avail) all while lugging a bag many times the size of himself, not to mention the fact that he's been a pipe smoker for all these years without a hint of lung problems; treating peoples to aforementioned presents on six continents not including islands nor scientists holed up in Antartica...

...I mean, what's not to believe here? I believe.

So to all you cynics, skeptics, and pseudo-scientists that try to debunk what happens every December 24th like clockwork, I pose the question used in the title of this post. If my mom and dad don't put them there -- and they don't -- and I don't put them there, then how...?

A Christmas Card for Everyone!

2009-12-23T06:00:00.008-06:00

To steal a quote from one of my movie favs: Unforgiven (ironically enough):

"Deserve's got nothing to do with it."

Christmas!

Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouforeverandeverandeveramen!

God With Us!
Prince of Peace!
King of Kings!
Lord of Lords!
First and Last!

Feel free to add on!

Work Christmas Breakfast

2009-12-22T07:54:00.000-06:00

Here at work, each day of December one or two folks sign up to bring some breakfast dish for everyone to enjoy. Tomorrow is my day - me and a friend. I luck out in this, because the one thing I can cook is a breakfast food. Tomorrow, my workplace can revel in this great, great food:

My friend's bringing Froot Loops and milk. We rock!

Going to Nashville for the Dolphins / Titans Game on Sunday

2009-12-18T17:01:00.004-06:00

VERSUS

I'm for the Dolphins! How about you?

Yo Quiero Taco Bell - Folk Style

2009-12-18T09:16:00.003-06:00

Got an e-mail from Doug with this link. Thought I'd share the humor:

Muchas gracias, DugALug!

Hate to Hear This - Chris Henry Died

2009-12-17T06:23:00.001-06:00

Wouldn't normally post a random NFL football player's death, but I know Doug (DugALug) is a big Cincinnati Bengals fan. Sorry to hear about this, Douglas. Apparently on the backside of a domestic dispute with his fiance, and he falling out of the back of a pickup truck, Chris Henry has passed away. Chris Henry has had his share of life's problems and his NFL reputation wasn't the best, but at such a young age, you can always turn it around. And I was hoping he was.

I was talking to a guy at work, and maybe it's the masses and masses of media where we know almost everything that happens almost anyplace (or so it seems), but man, it just seems like there's something every single day that just makes you scratch your head. Anyways...

...so sad. 26 years old.

Peace to his family, friends, and fans.

Positive Trends!

2009-12-16T07:00:00.001-06:00

Hey! Looking at our blog post-per-month trend pattern, since we've been back in the cyber-air, it appears that we've had some positive and negatives in our content output. As far as general posts, here's the data:

June -- 7 (better than none)
July -- 38 (big upspike)
August -- 35 (minor downturn)
September -- 31 (trending down, but still over a post a day)
October -- 12 (red flag)
November -- 7 (an appauling low)
December -- 12 (uptick at 13, with this post, and counting)

Our all-time record for a month is the very first month, January 2006, after we started this blog. The number of posts we had that month was 86. Wow. Ken must have had a lot to say. Not sure if that record will ever get broken, but maybe we oughta just take a month and try (that would take some major league begging from you, our three commenters, if we were going to try that). We trended down every month except March/April, 42 then 43 respectively, until we took our hiatus in September. At that time, there was much rejoicing. We've quelled that rejoicing quite well, though, in our major league comeback (very few sentences have two words starting with "Q" in them, but this last sentence I wrote managed that feat QUITE effortlessly - get ready for another upcoming "q-word" in the next sentence).

Now, as far as sheer quality posts, well, we're still looking for our first one of those. Please do us the favor of telling us if you read one.

What does all this meaningless drivel mean? Well, one, it scores another post for us so in a year when we chart stats again, it'll look like we were really writing it up last December!

More critically, though, it means Ken needs to post a lot more.

A What-If Scenario

2009-12-16T06:48:00.000-06:00

Suppose you had a young friend, maybe someone for whom you babysat a good deal, someone you mentored, or someone you taught or coached, who -- as many kids in his/her same unfortunate environment do when they get a little older -- made tragic and destructive decisions (perhaps armed assault, manslaughter, drug trafficking, etc. -- pick one or name another) that landed them in prison with a lengthy sentence but one that most likely will be reduced. Obviously, you care about your friend a good deal, but at the same time, you're not in your friend's inner confidences and not necessarily one of the persons he or she is most apt to turn to for help.

When this person is released from incarceration, the most likely avenues for livelihood your friend (add in his/her child(ren)) will have, now with a permanent soiled police record, is going back to the same destructive practices that got him/her into his/her current predicament. Initially, your friend has made the promise-to-self not to go back to the same way of life, but as far as actually getting out, what are the real means there?

With all this in mind, that's not what you want for your friend. Certainly, there has to be something better than the dead-end job that Red (played by Morgan Freeman) received in The Shawshank Redemption that couldn't support one person, much less a person with children. Especially when a person's young. Prison's not a rehabilitator, but we/you/I, as part of The Church (if you include yourself in That), need to be the Love of God in an instance like this, right? I think this is a tough question that is rooted in many of our societal ills, but for us as individuals, we have to take on questions like these, that are real to us, on case-by-case bases.

What's the answer or what are some answers, then?

Because if I/you/we aren't going to try to do something, then sure as death, nobody else is, either.

Randy Moss Quit on My Fantasy Football Team

2009-12-15T06:00:00.001-06:00

My Fantasy Football team finished second in the league, made the playoffs, and was favored to beat the seventh-seeded team...

...and then Randy Moss quit on me.

I'm gone! Out! Done! Finished!

A FF coach can draft and make moves taking risks on players that get injured historically, play up and down, or are young possible sleepers and possibly not. But does a coach ever factor in a player quitting on him? That's what I get trusting a Patriot.

I WANT MY $15 BACK!!!

So... Avatar?

2009-12-14T15:55:00.006-06:00

Most folks inhabiting The Realm have certainly heard tell or scene the previews of the upcoming Avatar movie. I believe it's out in theaters this weekend.

A synopsis (warning: some spoilers) from IMBD is here. A little bit more brief plot summary I pulled off the Web without the spoilers would be: a crippled ex-Marine is chosen to make contact with the mysterious people as a remotely controlled avatar.

James Cameron, writer and director of other sci-fi flicks such as The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, The Abyss, Aliens -- some of which I'd rate as classics -- writes, produces, and directs this film. And then, of course, he also is an Oscar winner for his efforts on Titanic. Early reviews for Avatar seem positive enough, and as far as special effects, there have been some reviews that are off the charts.

Personally, on one hand, this movie is one I'm somewhat looking forward to and certainly plan to see, but my expectations haven't been that high, for whatever reason. Back in the day, I sort of felt the same way about Aliens going into the movie, and lo and behold I was blown away, as Aliens is one of my all time favorite movies. One of the cool factors in Aliens was the characterizations of the marine outfit involved, and marines are used again in Avatar, so I've got a feeling Cameron will do well there. Also, I give high marks for the appearance of the alien race, the Na'vi, employed in Avatar.

Perhaps, I'm lost in my own world, but I just haven't heard the word of mouth at work, church, in the community, etc. on this film. Of course, I've seen a few promotionals and a trailer, but it's not like Spider-Man IV is coming out.

What about you guys and gals? What's the word you're hearing? And what are your thoughts on Avatar? Anyone dying to be there the first night? Anyone thinking, "I'll just skip this one"? I look forward to hearing anyone's thoughts on this one. I'd like to be psyched up!

Why I Can't Stand Mainstream Radio Anymore

2009-12-14T06:40:00.000-06:00

Billboard put out its Top 200 Albums of the Decade. Guess who topped it without looking at the pic. I have to go pretty far down the list to even find a CD I might enjoy.

Really, I have no words.

Favorites: Music

2009-12-11T19:00:00.006-06:00

"It's like..it's like ANOTHER favorite, but not as much.not as MUCH favorite.but, they're both good.they're BOTH good." -- Brian Regan

Just like Brian, I have favorites. And least favorites. Unique, I know. Favorites are like opinions, which are like bellybuttons, which are like other various and sundry other unnamed body parts. Everybody has one.

But that's the beauty of the blogosphere. I tell you mine. You tell me yours. And we revel in the sameness or debate the differentness.

And that's what I'll do in this series that I'll call -- wait for it -- wait for it -- "Favorites". In this episode, our hero (The Diabolical Genius) much like Maria Von Trapp will reveal of few of his Favorite Things (BTW, I don't know how the Sound of Music and the Wizard of Oz became holiday movies, but I digress).

Here are my MOST favorites and LEAST favorites in the world of music. And unlike David Letterman, they are presented in Top 5 format. 5 is the number, not 10, 5. It's 5, I tell you.

Least Favorites

5. The Remix. Dance remixes. Radio remixes. Pop remixes. Hip Hop remixes. Yeech.

4. Voice gymnastics, especially when accompanied by hand gestures (thank you no, Mariah and Christina)

3. Song lyrics that either try to make a word rhyme with another just by pronouncing them strangely (i.e. Flo-rida's show and flo') or lyrics that are even more desperate and unoriginal that they rhyme a word with itself (i.e. "I don't mind if you change your mind)

2. Rod Stewart -- the sound, the look, the lyrics, anything

1. Steel Guitar

Most Favorites

5. The bass clef

4. 60's music

3. Penny whistles and bagpipes

2. Epic movie scores (LOTR, Star Wars, Braveheart, etc, etc)

1. Christmas songs. Hymns, classics, silly ones, new classics. Any of them (except 12 days of Christmas)

Very well. There you have it. Discuss amongst yourselves.

Smoking Cigarettes and Watching Captain (Kaaaaang) Kangaroo

2009-12-11T06:43:00.002-06:00

Sorry to offend, if I did, with the old Statler Brothers "Counting Flowers on the Wall" number as a post title that I'm still sometimes subjected to when riding passenger in my dad's car. Actually, that's probably the Statler Bros. tune I enjoy the most, so I shouldn't crack on it. Some of the other artists I'm lucky enough to be exposed to in when in my dad's ride -- or he's cranking his music at our family get-togethers:

Oak Ridge Boys
Anne Murray
Elvis Presley (YES!!!)
Freddie Fender

If I'm lucky, I get some:

Johnny Cash
Emmylou Harris

And my brother has since introduced him to:

Over the Rhine

which he likes, and I can be very,very thankful for that. Dad seems to get annoyed when I put my music in, and I still can't figure that out, but oh well.

Now, growing up, the kids in my family heard more than our share of Anne Murray, who seemed to be his favorite, but we also had a lot of this:

Vicki Carr
Tom Jones
Bobby Gentry (one album I remember with Glenn Campbell)
Crystal Gayle
The Kingston Trio (who were his favs)
The Brothers Four (was that the Kingston Trio plus one?)
Roger Miller (whom I still look fondly upon)
Roy Clark
Waylon Jennings
Barbara Steisand

Let me just say for the record, the Vicki Carr lounge lizard stuff:

You're just too good to be true,
Can't take my eyes off of you,
You're like heaven to touch,
I just want to hold you so much,
You're just to be good to be true,
Can't take my eyes off of you.

(Music: BA DAM BA DAM BAM BAM BAMP BAM, BAM BAMP BA DAM BAM!)

I LOVE YOU BAAAAAAAAABY...

Yeah, that stuff. That stuff was merciless. So, too, was Babs, for the most part.

But my questions to The Realm at large are these:

1) What was the music your parents listened to?

and, more importantly (relatively speaking)

2) How do you look back on it?

As major or minor influences in your life or music appreciation? As those silly folks of mine? As in "Please, please no, not that... THE HORRRR-RRRRRRAH!!!"? As in thank you Mom and/or Dad for this or that but NOT THAT?! As in you never give it a second thought? As in "My parents were cool"?

And then the reciprocal question for those that might have children:

What do you think your kids think of your musical tastes now and what will they think when they're older?

Because, despite what I'm saying about my dad, I'm just sure, sure, sure, SURE, SURE... that my kids will think"

"My dad is COOL!!!"

Well, they better.

Joseph's Lament

2009-12-10T06:16:00.005-06:00

Traveled too far for the girl to end up like this,
bent in pain, tears mixed with sweat, and totally spent.
The cries of the child, this child not mine, in such darkness,
echoing against the stone walls, rising above the lows and bleats.
Cries that rend my soul.

For a dream did I stake this union, sure that I had heard from the Most High.
Yet, the house filled above, while she and I outcast with beast,
lying in straw and dung, searching desperately for cloths to cover the infant,
speak to the lucidity of my vision.
I am undone.

The arguing in halls overhead stirs the ass beside us.
Handing her the strips I find, she wraps the babe.
Sets him in the swine trough after I clear the refuse.
Footsteps descend from the stairs above, and slurred voices rise.
Who now, at this time of night?

She pulls her garment across her body just as they step into the lower room.
The stench betrays these men as herders, nomads.
I go to stop them when one grasps my arm.
Another trods past and falls to the flooring before the boy.
More follow, speaking of the sign.

Fit near rage, I break from the man's grip,
but then I stop.
These sheepherders, these outcasts, they groan praises.
Praises to the child. To this King. Praises to the Lord God of Hosts.
In this moment I am struck.
Who am I to do this?

Good News Update...

2009-12-07T17:03:00.000-06:00

...to the Here's Another Little Something post about one of my co-workers, albeit living in a different state than I do, that I wrote a couple days ago.

Bob Sumrall was found! After seven days!!! Here's an article regarding him being found by a couple of ranchers, and here's another how he managed to stay alive. Apparently, he was lying face down fifteen miles from where his car had been found, and his dog, Zulu, a black labrador retriever, was sitting atop him, and that warmth saved his life. When the ranchers approached, the dog ran away, which is an ongoing story in this whole episode. As the matter of fact, a $2,600 reward has been posted for anyone that finds the dog. Hopefully, they find Zulu!!!

At first, Bob was unconscious, in critical condition, and treated for hypothermia. from another co-worker that he might lose some toes because of the frostbite he endured. He's since come around, and I think is in somewhat better condition.

So praises for that. Thanks to everyone who prayed. And we'll keep our fingers crossed for Zulu!

Bests and Worsts # 1

2009-12-04T06:01:00.002-06:00

Name your best and worst of the following:

The Best Kevin Costner Movie:

The Worst Kevin Costner Movie:

The Best Stephen King Novel/Story:

The Best Worst Stephen King Novel/Story:

The Best Seinfeld Episode:

The Worst Seinfeld Episode:

The Best Rolling Stones Song:

The Worst Rolling Stones Song:

The Best Saturday Morning Cartoon Character:

The Worst Saturday Morning Cartoon Character:

The Best Holiday Dessert:

The Worst Holiday Dessert:

The Best Movie/TV Cowboy:

The Worst Movie/TV Cowboy:

The Best of the Newspaper Comic Strips:

The Worst of the Newspaper Comic Strips:

The Best of Superman's foes:

The Worst of Superman's foes:

The Best Christmas Gift You Ever Received:

The Worst Christmas Gift You Ever Received:

That's ten and enough for this round. Feel free, if you want, to add the whys and whatfors regarding your choices. Those tidbits are generally fun to hear.

Go Ode Yourself

2009-12-03T18:25:00.003-06:00

Let's see if I have this correctly. The last post crafted up by the Diabolical Genius sounded something a little, a little something, almost exactamentally, close to word-for-word, and something a lot like this. It reads similarly to this:

Where, O where, has my little Rich gone,
Where, O where, can he be,
Not in the parlor, not on the lawn,
Not in the loo to wee.
Poor Richard does not an almanac write,
Young Dick, he nevermore posts,
No clacking of keys and no scrawl of the pen.
The virus has swallowed his byte,
The Trojan has given the Realm up to ghosts,
But the worm cannot shut up ol’ Ken.

Is anyone else catching the irony here? "Irony" is a big word and sometimes misunderstood. Let me e'splain. By my count, since this frolicking, self-serving little poetic injustice here, sixteen posts, including this one, have been penned by the the selfsame victim of this verse. The sum total written at the hand of the author of this "Ode to a Madman" post is a grand, whopping total of negative one (plus one). Zero.

Again, back to the irony. The DG scribes: But the worm cannot shut up ol' Ken.

Apparently, something other than a worm has busted ol' Ken in the proverbial chops. And just on a little bit different tack, all the "Young Dick", "wee" and "Trojan" references...

...please Kenneth. This is a family blog. And we're children's book writers.

Back on point, where is this Lord-O'-Limerick now? Where can be found the Viceroy of Verse? The Sultan of the Sonnet? Or should I say, the Queen of the Quatraine?

Anyhow, I love the irony. Don't you?

Here's Another Little Something

2009-12-03T17:49:00.005-06:00

Over the years, on news telecasts and such, I've heard about people getting lost in mountains or when volcanoes blow or in rockslides, etc. I've heard about them. Heard. On the other hand, I've never really known or spoken with those people.

Well, for an unwelcome change, that's not the case anymore. Here's a news clipping on someone that works for one of my business' sister companies that went hiking with his dog out in the mountains of New Mexico. He didn't make it home on time, and then a blizzard hit dropping over ten inches of snow. His wife called him missing the morning after the evening he should have returned home, and the search teams started Sunday afternoon. To this point, no luck. In fact, the latest article here states that the search has failed.

Now, I don't know Bob very well, really don't know him-know him at all, but I have spoken to him on occasion for business-related subjects. I met him when he came to Huntsville once. Now, he's been missing for five days.

Just an odd, odd story. Familiar by other stories of this nature, but nontheless weird. Because it hits a little closer to home, I feel for the family. Prayers for him and his family would be welcome, I'm pretty sure.

Silent Monks Singing Halleluia Chorus

2009-12-03T08:59:00.004-06:00

Let's start off the Advent Season here at the blog with this YouTube. A good friend sent it to me, and it's worth a look:

Whattaya think?

Christmas is coming!!!

In Addition...

2009-11-30T10:04:00.003-06:00

...and while maybe I shouldn't apologize, I've felt guilty about not posting or doing any other writing lately, so I'm sorry for the blog neglect. Hopefully, I'll be a little more prolific in December. This blog hasn't been fun lately (really, it hasn't been a blog lately; it hasn't been anything lately). Of course, it'll be more fun when Ken writes as he's more funnier.

I do hope everyone had a GREAT THANKSGIVING!!!

Okay, I'm off to Asheville.

My Grandma Passed Away

2009-11-30T06:30:00.000-06:00

She was the last of my grandparents, in her mid-nineties, and it's been awhile since she really "lived". My dad and his sister both have struggled with when the right time to let her go has been. God and Grandma helped with that decision, thankfully. Today, I'm heading to Asheville, NC for the funeral, which is tomorrow. I'm not sure what exactly I'm feeling, if anything, except that I want to be with my dad (and mom), his brother, and sister to share in their grief. And really that's more because that's how I'd want my kids to be for me rather than for any personal benevolence. Sometimes, I worry about my personhood. Well, many times.

As opposed to my mother's parents, I wasn't that close with my Dad's. They just weren't in our lives as much. Nonetheless, both Grandma and Papa were wonderful people, albeit a little quirky, from what I know, and for the times I saw them, they were good grandparents to me and, as Christians and decent human beings, they helped a lot of people. I used to love going out on Papa's fishing boat when we went down to Miami, and Grandma would cook up the perch we caught and make it taste like fried shrimp. I used to climb in their fig tree and stuff myself. They had a mini-farm and barn, and when I was a baby, they bought Gingerbread, a Shetland Pony, for me. I never got to see the pony much, although I rode him and their other horse when I was down there. They had lots of chickens as well - used to collect the eggs when I was down there... and cats and two or three poodles. Grandma made the best key lime pie, too. And then, I remember she told me a couple stories I almost had trouble believing. One was about her and Papa talking to and encouraging Billy Graham when he was young and had thoughts of abandoning preaching. I wonder if that really happened?

Whatever is in me, though, I just don't feel that much. I'd like to feel more, because I think that'd be more human. She was my grandmother. She loved my dad. She loved me. While I'd like to think it's grief, I'm fairly sure it's rather that my soul's just a little too numb, I don't love enough, and really, my heart's a little too hard.

Lord, soften it.

Stream of Consciousness

2009-11-04T06:28:00.002-06:00

Times of wonder, those Summer, days gone by. Children climbing, hiding on the bluffs. The sounds of squirrels and rabbits, fleeing from footsteps of running boys. Sweet breezes that blow through hair and into eyes, and the twilight fades and the darkness sets in. The resilience of youth is but a facade and can be seen through like Saran wrap. The chickens always come to roost, so they say and nevermore true than now. And later. Life trods on like the hull of the battleship still gliding yet deeper through the seas neverminding the torpedo that ruptured its aft. Sparrows still sing. The harvest moon yet rises. Puffy clouds still find their merry paths below azure skies. All the regrets reflected in the tears of one man's eye forgetting not the passion and devotion and hopes and teaching and some of the prayers. Where to begin, where to end, and to perservere in between, so it is and so am I.

V - A Shout-out!!!

2009-11-03T06:51:00.000-06:00

V, the TV series (the 2009 version), starts tonight at 8:00 EST/7:00 CST on ABC, and I've got my fingers crossed that this one's going to be good. It has, from one of my favorite series, Josh Whedon's Firefly, the beautiful Morena Baccarin as Anna, one of the aliens, and that's reason enough for me to watch it. Obviously, this is a re-making of the 1983 (mini-series) and 1984 (TV series) version of the show with the same name: V, which starred none other than The Beastmaster (Dar), Marc Singer. While the original V miniseries was mildly successful, spawning a year-long TV series the next year, I'm hoping for a more Battlestar Galactica-like re-envisioning here -- although I'll not set my expectations that high. Really, I'm just hopeful for a legitimate sci-fi drama that's cool to watch. And, of course, scary aliens.

However, the reason for this post is beside the point of all that. The REASON FOR THIS POST IS that it also stars Logan Huffman (pictured to the right), a friend of Shawn, who is one of our blog followers. Shawn (correct me if I have any of this wrong) home-schooled Logan, and her son and Logan are best friends from way back. SO! Give V a try, and keep a lookout for Logan.

The Visitors are here!

Post All Hallow's Post

2009-11-03T06:25:00.001-06:00

Understanding that not all folks that come to this blog love the Halloween holiday, I'm still a big fan, so please indulge me for a few questions. Just wondering what trick-or-treating was like in all your neck o' the woods. How was it where you live? My neighborhood has a lot of kids, so we had a lot of traffic. However, by and large, I've heard that kids on the candy rampage was down this year for several reasons, not the least of which is the Swine Flu. So tell me:

What did you do for Halloween? Did you dress up? Did you hand out candy to passersby? Did your kids dress up? As what? Do you have any candy leftovers? Can you send them to me? What were the best costumes you saw? Did anyone have or go to any festive parties? Did your church have a fall carnival or a Reformation Day? Or was Halloween just another day that went by, not much different than any other day?

Also, are you ready for Thanksgiving? How about Christmas?

Matthew Ryan's Dear Lover

2009-10-30T10:11:00.004-05:00

Christmas comes at Halloween with the release of Matthew Ryan's Dear Lover CD on sale now at Matthew Ryan's website. I've blogged before here about Matthew's last CD, Matthew Ryan Versus the Silver State, and just how absolutely fantastic that release was. Here's a musician and songwriter I just cannot recommend enough. He's one of those guys that if you like what you hear now, you want to go back and gobble up his whole discographic catalog. Here's a teaser track from the CD:

Take a listen and decide for yourself if this is a CD worth taking a flier on listening to and then talking about it to friends, family, work associates, school chums, and, heck, even strangers that love brilliant, poignant albeit ofttimes heartbreaking songwriting and excellent music. His songs are ones you listen to repeatedly and then think about long after the music's stopped.

I'm purchasing it today, but hearing what I've heard from Matthew Ryan's past, I'm recommending it sight unseen, or rather, CD unheard. Of course, I'll also be letting you know in the comments about my feelings once I receive it. Here's a few pre-release reviews:

PopDose
Glide Magazine
Metromix

Thanks for listening!

Post D v. G

2009-10-20T06:19:00.006-05:00

The David versus Goliath analogy is used by millions nowadays, both in Western and Eastern civilization as well as in the North and South, too. Anytime one supposedly great force challenges a lesser force, the "David versus Goliath" phrase is invoked. Obviously, as a Christian, I understand that David won that mano-a-mano duel due to the power of the Lord God of Hosts, and really any of David victories both before and after he became "King David" were also due to his Lord's empowering him and his missions. All that is true and is well to be remembered.

From a more sociological point of view, I'm wondering just how much of a mismatch this confrontation really was. Goliath was the Philistine champion, and with that title, it must be assumed that he had won his share of clashes with other men, specifically, other warriors. On the other hand, the boy, David, had for his part taken out wolves, lions, and bears with his sling, and I'm not so sure how well Goliath would have done in a cage match with one of those beasts. When Vegas was figuring the odds of the David v. Goliath head-to-head grudge match, would the odds really have been as astronomically overwhelming in Goliath's favor as we tend to suggest? Certainly, the Hebrew warriors and David's own brothers didn't give him much of a shot, but I think we've got to give it up to Saul. He must have seen something in David. According to conventional knowledge, here was the King of Israel sending what was little more than "a mere child" out to apparent suicide, and not only that, he was staking the fate of his own army on the lad. If that was really the case, Saul was one of the worst leaders in the history of mankind. He had to have seen something in David, and if so, was the outcome as surprising as the legend has become?

We all know the story. David won.

To further my point, though, this most notable victory wasn't David's only victory. No. This victory was merely the beginning of a string of military victories and conquerings throughout his life. Many, many, many. Obviously, he had his troubles, too. Saul tried to kill him. His own son tried to kill him. But David is remembered far more for his victories, starting with Goliath and then going on from there, than he is for his troubles, militarily-speaking.

And in other news, the friendly, little Miami Dolphins play the big, bad, NFL monster that is the New Orleans Saints this coming weekend...

Coooooooodepokkkkkkkkkkke!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-10-15T21:25:00.004-05:00

Cue trumpets! Cue bells!

In case you guys didn't hear, well, let him be the one to tell you this awesome news!

Congratulations Kevin & Dana!

All best wishes from The Realm of Possibility to and for the both of you, forever.

Favorite Sports Rivalries

2009-10-15T19:54:00.005-05:00

I'm still on Cloud Nine after the fabulous Monday Night Football game between my Miami Dolphins and the dreaded, evil-incarnate, trash-talking New York Jets. Score one for the good guys as the Fins took their first of two meetings this year 31-27.

As football rivalries go, for me, it doesn't get any better than the Dolphins/Jets... and I live in Alabama, and am an Auburn University grad and fan, and here you hear about the Iron Bowl rivalry 365 days a year -- and I'm not joking about that. I know most people in Alabama that root for one of the two schools, well, there's nothing that compares to Auburn versus Alabama (I'm fairly sure, if Alabama fans read what I just wrote, it might stick in their craw a bit that I listed Auburn first just now -- that's how bad it is). I can't downplay the rivalry here because it's like nothing I've ever seen. However, I have a lot of friends that are Alabama fans, and I enjoy them a lot. We give each other hard times, but most of it is in good fun. On the other hand, I don't have any, that I know of, friends that are New York Jet fans. So I don't look at them in the same way -- there are no "real people" that cheer for the New York Jets, only automaton spawn that spew the "J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets" mantra and infiltrate football stadiums, perpetrating heinous acts. Call me crazy, but since I let myself see it that way, then, the New York Jets... with their blowhard coach, their irritating chant, their sore-loser players (save Kris Jenkins, who manned-up after the loss), their big city media that follows them, and, as of right now, their 3-2 record, which is a game ahead of my team's... well, they're just sort of this nebulous evil entity that my Dolphin-fan-guts-and-insides just wants to rail against so as to champion the triumph of justice, decency, and valor everywhere over the insidious evil that flows out of the Empire State in the form of the New York football Jets.

Okay, okay, I'm just kidding. Sort of.

I could spend hours and pages writing about the intricacies of Monday's game... but that's not really Realm material. Plus, I do that with my dad and brother.

However, since it is what's on my mind, I decided to ask you guys:

What are your favorite sports rivalries? What makes them special to you? I know there are some good ones, and some that are longstanding. Red Sox/Yankees. Cubs/Cardinals. USC/UCLA. Army/Navy. Cowboys/Redskins. Bears/Packers. Celtics/Lakers. Rangers/Islanders. Sampras/Agassi. Ali/Frazier. And that's just touching the tip of the iceberg. Let's hear some good ones.

Here's a Gimme Question for You

2009-10-15T18:08:00.002-05:00

In my Sunday School class, we're discussing the Trinity -- right, one God, three persons, three-in-one. Question:

What is the best explanation you've ever heard that describes the Trinity?

Fire away!

Battlestar Galactica Space Glow Putty

2009-10-09T17:53:00.000-05:00

Except for the Space Glow Putty. Ken let me borrow his copy of Season One of the re-made Battlestar Galactica (BSG), which includes the miniseries that started the serial. Let me just say this:

This is not your mamas' and daddies' Battlestar Galactica.

Back in the day, as a child, I kind of enjoyed the old BSG, but really I only remember Dirk Benedict, Lorne Greene, and Richard Hatch from the show. Well, them and the Cylon robots that had the cool cyclops eye with the moving red light. However, I was never overwhelmed by that show and thought it was campy, so when BSG reappeared in a modern version on the Sci Fi (now SyFy) Network a few years back, I didn't give it a second thought. Probably lame. Probably cheesy.

Hoo boy.

While I'm not sure it's for everybody (and certainly not for children), this remake is pretty amazing. I've read on some of the reviews that the show wasn't just one of the best (or the best) Sci Fi dramas on television, it was one of the best dramas on television. Really, I'm inclined to agree with that. While having to spend around $30-$40 for a half season, which is the way the DVDs are packaged, seems a little steep, they do suck you in.

I'll say this in that regard: it IS nice to have a pal like the Diabolical Genius that is just dying to buy the next half-season and then let his good friend, Rich, borrow the disks after he's watched them. You'd think he might garner a little DVD rent from me... but no. All he asked was for me to watch and then return. Check and check. Ready for the next one, Ken!

A few things that you're not going to see coming out of this BSG version is anything like this:

Yeah, and no plastic cylon figures, either. Probably not even good to think about that.

Anyhoo, I'd like to hear -- without spoilers, mind you -- anyone else's thoughts on BSG, if you watched it. Favorite cylons... er, characters, I mean? Favorite episodes? Likes and dislikes? Etc.

Whatcha Reading?

2009-10-07T22:44:00.005-05:00

Right now, I'm in the middle of The Lightning Thief, which I have to say, I'm enjoying quite a bit. More than I thought I would. My son, Carson (11), had loved The Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by Rick Riordan, siad they were his favorite books EVER, so I thought maybe I should check them out and see what he likes so much. The main character, Percy, Riordan nails, and I can see why boys would like him. The mythological gods, demigods, monsters, and other characters brought current will have kids enthralled in this story as well as checking out Greek and Roman myth books from the school or local libraries. Also, I think The Lightning Thief is coming out as a movie in 2011. So that's on the list.

Also, I'm about four or five chapters through The Hunger Games -- as recommended by Joanna, and written by Suzanne Collins -- and that's been fantastic, as well, to this point. Actually, I'm reading this one to my boys, so although I'd like to be going faster, I'm sort of hamstrung on that account. They're enjoying the story as much as I am. Carson always starts out picking up a Spider-Man comic book when nighttime reading begins, but within thirty seconds of me starting into The Hunger Games, he's set down the comic and is fascinated. Davis asks a lot of questions, but he's into it probably more than my older son. Collins has done a good job with the post-apocalyptic Panem world, and I've warmed to her protagonist. The story reminds me a bit of that old Schwartznegger movie, The Running Man, if anyone ever saw that one -- but this book is quite a bit better than that movie, despite Richard Dawson's appearance (sarcasm alert!).

Not sure which book I'd say was better... they're for different age groups. Really, I give them both really high marks for their target audiences and just from a personal enjoyment standpoint as well.

For Sunday School, our class is reading and discussing Christian Beliefs, which is essentially the cliff notes version of Wayne Grudem's 10-jillion page tome Systematic Theology. I couldn't hope to make it through that one, although we've got some guys in our church wading through it... bless their hearts. No, I'm good with the twenty basics. Really, I'd be even better if I could just get two commandments down. Regardless, I'm reading the book. The short one.

So that's it for me right now. How about you?

Messianic Christianity? I'm Clueless. Open Questions to The Realm.

2009-10-07T22:23:00.001-05:00

Whenever I don't know something, I've been told the best thing to do is ask the Internet. Certainly, one can't go wrong doing that, can one? Better still, since I have a blog, I can put forth my inquiries to wiser people than me that come to The Realm of Possibility. Surely, I can arrive at some conclusions in here, my happy house. So here goes. I've got some questions about Messianic Christianity, if someone knows something about that. Hopefully, I've got that name correct as I'm really not even certain about that. This post could sound utterly and amazingly ignorant, but it wouldn't be my first one of those, nor my last.

Apparently, Messianic Christians are different in at least one respect, maybe a great many more, from Messianic Jews in that, well, they're not Jewish. Let me just get to my list of questions for those that might know:

1) Messianic Christians are non-Jewish persons that adhere to parts of Leviticus and the old Jewish Law? Why? I know some people that are involved in this denomination -- if that's what it is -- and they certainly aren't adhering to all of it. So... just select parts of the law. Is that correct? What is the reasoning behind this?

2) Also, is most of their "church" focused on trying to obey the Jewish laws and customs rather than on Christ? I know they celebrate the major Jewish festivals, feasts, and holidays, and they may or may not celebrate Christmas and/or Easter. Does anyone know about that?

3) They believe in Jesus... do they believe as orthodox Christianity does, that He is God, was resurrected, and through God's grace is the salvation given for all men and women? Do Messianic Christians believe following the law is part of salvation along with believing in Jesus?

4) At least the folks I know that are in Messianic Christian groups (and this is a small sample size, so I probably shouldn't generalize), they say they don't believe in preaching, as that's man telling the congregants how to live. They think God through the Holy Scriptures has given us what we need. Instead, they have instructors for their small group church. Is this how most Messianic Christians operate? And do I have right that they don't believe in the preached word? However, they're okay with teaching? Is that right? And most of the teaching is from the Old Testament, not the New?

I guess, just from what I've heard... well, I have a lot of problems with what I've heard, and it's a little concerning -- but, really, I am very ignorant on this practice and what Messianic Christianity is (who Messianic Christians are and what their intent is), and I'd like to learn a few things. If anyone knows something about it or if anyone is involved in it, please enlighten me. It would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Ode to a Madman

2009-10-06T23:28:00.004-05:00

Where, O where, has my little Rich gone,
Where, O where, can he be,
Not in the parlor, not on the lawn,
Not in the loo to wee.
Poor Richard does not an almanac write,
Young Dick, he nevermore posts,
No clacking of keys and no scrawl of the pen.
The virus has swallowed his byte,
The Trojan has given the Realm up to ghosts,
But the worm cannot shut up ol’ Ken.

Tori Stellar by Jerry Seltzer

2009-10-02T17:42:00.001-05:00

On the SCBWI list serve, one of the writers posted this link to an illustrator/artist's (Jerry Seltzer's) site for his Tori Stellar, Children's Book Author comic strip. From what I gather, the cartoons are cute and humorous bits of inspiration, advice, and experience for chidren's authors and aspiring writers.

Funny, and I can really identify with a couple of them (and no, I'm not talking about saying the S-word... althooo-ooough...). At the site, there are only a couple other comic strips, however, you can sign up for a free weekly newsletter, go to the newsletter archives, or e-mail Jerry with ideas.If the comic strips tickle your funnybones, check out the site.

Greenery

2009-10-02T06:30:00.000-05:00

Little add-on game I guess I'll try. This could bomb big time - but... I have to be okay with that. I'm gonna list three green veggies, and your job is to rank them as you like them from best-to-worst, and then ADD ON two more green vegetables that are missing from the list - and then everyone has to re-rank again, adding ones we didn't have before. Now, by "green vegetables", what I mean are: vegetables that are COLORED GREEN.

Example:

turnip greens - green vegetable (they're green)

turnips - not green vegetables (they're some shade of off-white or sometimes yellow)

So carrots, rutabagas, squash - out, out, out. Green onions - in. Most other onions - out.

Get it? We'll see how many we can get to -- and see who likes what and who hates what -- before our heads explode. Or we get bored, which may have already happened for some of you. Sorry, if that's the case. Nonetheless...

This game sort of fits in with The Realm's current golf-putting-green decor. I know what you're thinking, and I'm thinking the same thing: STUPID COMPUTER GAME!!! At least you didn't wake up thinking that you'd see this stupid computer game here at The Realm of Possibility. Certainly, you may have thought you might see some variation of a stupid computer game as we've had lots of those... but this one? Never!!! Still, you have to play, because Mommie always told you:

EAT YOUR GREEN VEGETABLES!!!

List start - fav to least fav:

1) collard greens

2) green beans

3) green onions

Start adding green veggies!!!

Happy October

2009-10-01T06:14:00.001-05:00

So which day is it that actually starts the "Holiday Season"?

Commercially-speaking, Halloween candy has been out in the stores since Autumn started, maybe a few days before. Is October 31st the day that ushers in the season? I'm not sure, but I do know that once I start seeing the Halloween decorations come out on people's houses, in the stores, and at work, I kind of feel a spring in my step. I love the season, and I suppose, for me, it's started already.

The government fiscal year ended yesterday, so at my work, after October, usually the cycle slows down through New Years. I know it's not like that for everyone... if you're in the retail business, it's probably just the opposite. However, I enjoy this part of the year, and folks usually seem to be a tad happier and lighter in spirit... until the stress of "OHMIGOSH!!! I HAVEN'T GOT MY CHRISTMAS SHOPPING DONE AND IT'S DECEMBER 23RD!!!" gets to them.

Anyhoo, for all you non-Halloweeners, the Holiday Season probably has to wait a month for you - but to that, I'm just gonna say, "Nanani-boo-boo!" Mine's started already! Hope you get here soon.

And, by the way, eighty-five shopping days left!

Tearjerker Flicks

2009-09-30T06:18:00.001-05:00

Alright, Lords and Ladies, for today, let's all get in touch with our feminine side. What are the movies that made you cry? It can be as a kid or an adult. However, if you're a person that's apt to let the rivers flow at any touching cinematic moment, then I only want to hear the ones where you were crying walking out of the theater... and then later on, whenever you thought of the movie or touching scenes, the water was falling once again. We're talking major league blubbering here.

Obviously, as this is a blog, everyone is more than welcome to expound on the scenes or parts of each movie listed that made them well up with tears. And just as painstakingly obvious, as this is a blog, anyone who would rather not expound, well, they're more than welcome to just list some movies... or lurk... whatever so pleases.

Brian's Song (pictured) and Where the Red Fern Grows were two movies, as a kid, I can remember just outright bawling when I watched. Even today, Brian's Song will get to me when I watch it. Also, I know Christians had both good and bad views of it, but I cried during Passion of the Christ. Really, though, I'm not a huge crier at movies, so it takes a bit. I'll try to remember a few more and list them in the comments.

Okay then, all you macho dudes "woman-up", and girls, I'm bracing myself for some Nicholas Sparks books-to-movies (rrrrreeeeeeetchhhhhhhhhh!!!). Make me cry!

2009-09-29T08:18:00.003-05:00

Who can take a sunrise, sprinkle it with dew...

Viruses and Dinosaurs

2009-09-28T08:51:00.002-05:00

Wish I was exaggerating about having a computer virus, but it turns out the part I was a little hyperbolic with on that subject was the word "had"... as in "I had a computer virus." No, it turns out that, while that was true, not only did I "had" a computer virus, but I still have one.

The other computer I have at home is a dinosaur sooooooooo old that turning it on takes a good half hour.

Right now, I'm pretty hosed as far as posting much to the blog. I'll try starting something from my home computer tonight, and maybe I'll have something within the next two days. Now, though, since I'm at work, I need to make this short. I hope your lives are going great.

Aside from the Dolphins being 0-3... well, is there really an aside from that?

Favorite Recipes #1 - Dessert Category

2009-09-27T20:28:00.005-05:00

In the interest of making the world a better place, I present you with the recipe for my favorite dessert, Magic Cookie Bars (or Hello Dollys as they are known in some circles).

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 can (14oz) Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk

1 package (6oz) chocolate chips (or butterscotch chips if you prefer)

1 can (3 1/2 oz) shredded coconut

1 cup chopped nuts (I like pecans)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 degrees for glass pan).

Melt butter in 13 x 9 pan.

Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs over butter.

Pour condensed milk evenly over crumbs.

Top evenly with remaining ingredients.

Press down gently.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned.

Cool thoroughly before cutting into squares.

Store loosely covered at room temperature.

Similar recipes can probably be found in most cookbooks or on the Net, but I know this one is good.

Also, make sure you have a cold glass or three of milk nearby to cut the sweetness so you can keep eating until they are all gone.

You're welcome!

ARG

2009-09-24T20:49:00.007-05:00

At the risk of embarrassing myself by speaking about something of which I know very little, I present the concept of Alternate Reality Gaming or ARG.

This should not be confused with virtual reality or role playing games, though ARG may in some way owe some of its principles to ideas developed in these endeavors. Confused?

Well, ARG seems to pride itself on remaining elusive, even mysterious. It intentionally stays out of the spotlight, and yet snickers as it parades right before your eyes without you even knowing it's there.

So, what is ARG, and why should you care?

The short answer is that it's a cool multimedia scavenger hunt utilizing real world events in a secretive, highly sophisticated, conspiracy theory, secret agenty way. And you should only care about ARG, if you like fun and enjoy being in the in-crowd or if you are a writer.

Why a writer? Because the complicated structure, twists and turns, and ultimate resolution are very much like the well-developed plot of a great novel. A few novel writers have already realized this and are actively involved in developing new ARGs. And the best part is that ARG marketing is intentionally minimalist (called the This Is Not A Game aesthetic) and dependent on word-of-mouth and information sharing.

Intrigued? Curious? Check out the Wikipedia entry on ARGs or the trendy ARG headquarters at Unfiction.com.

Good luck finding a rabbithole and be wary of the puppetmasters!!

The Sky Is Falling

2009-09-22T19:40:00.005-05:00

Been a little slow on the blog. Hate to go all personal on you, but a few things:

My friend a co-worker, Dan Phillips, passed away after a bout with cancer. I blogged about him here, and in case anyone's interested -- because his wife was a fantastic writer and the story was so touching -- the Caring Bridge journals can be found here.
My computer caught a virus, and that was irritating.
The Miami Dolphins are 0-2, and last night's gut-wrenching, abysmal defensive, hollowed-out-my-heart loss in a game our offense dominated... total misery.
My younger son brought home a robust 50 (F) on his science test, so more studying needed.
Instead of a blog/website I really read on the sidebar, Ken included a Precious Moments Doll site, which promptly includes the Diabolical Genius in the Buzzard of the Week discussion.
My co-worker is out at Disney World, so I'm here at 9:30 at night at work trying to do two people's job.
Working on 8 hours sleep in the last two days.
Even with Auburn being 3-0, our defense looks as much like Swiss cheese as Georgia's and Arkansas'.
I'm gonna be late on two bills, and I keep not making it to that oil change I desperately need.
Mom's waiting on lab test results from some nodules on her throat, and Dad just had a procedure to check on his semi-clogged arteries.

Anyway, all this to say I haven't been blogging much lately, and look what happens when I do. This drivel that I post that reminds me of blogs I'm not interested in reading. Come back for more of this!!!

Notwithstanding my complaints, please pray for Dan's family and my parents.

And I'm sure I forgot to mention -- the Dolphins are 0-2. Mizzzzzery.

Favorite Spots #2 - Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia

2009-09-21T08:34:00.002-05:00

Thanks for tuning in to the Realm Channel. Today we'll be traveling from the Rockies to the Everglades with stopovers at the homes of the North Avenue Trade School, the Stamford branch, and Rocky Bluewinkle.

You made our first installment of Favorite Spots big, 44 comments large. But if you somehow missed it, bang here. To recap, the theory is that you guys have been there, done that all over the country and beyond. And this is your chance to share your favorite spots. Try to be as specific as possible on the location of your favorite spot, as if one of our readers was headed there tonight.

Your favorite spot can be an attraction, a quaint cafe, a lovely meadow, or as we showed last time even a make-out spot.

Good luck and thanks for all the fish.

Patrick Swayze Post Script

2009-09-18T06:34:00.002-05:00

I was never a huge fan, but my mom, who is what I consider a typical female Oprah-watcher, liked him a lot and says he was a really good person. Others have made similar statements, so I'll go along with that. Think my mom even met his mother, who I believe owns or owned a dance studio. Of his movies, I saw The Outsiders, Red Dawn, Roadhouse, and Ghost, and then I saw one episode of The Beast on television. Never saw Dirty Dancing, Donnie Darko, To Wong Foo, or Point Break. None of the movies were classics, although I think The Outsiders and Ghost both had a bit of a following and Ghost was a pretty good movie. Roadhouse has taken a beating over the years, but I was entertained by that ol' Dalton in that one.

However, what I saw or thought is neither here nor there. Patrick Swayze was a figure most people knew, and, like Farrah Fawcett, his battle with cancer was pretty well publicized. People were pulling for him. So, if there are any thoughts you have about him and don't mind sharing, let us know.

Tossin' Ken a Bone

2009-09-17T06:59:00.003-05:00

Here you go Ken! Four kids stoned this creature to death a couple days ago.

What is it?

Link.

The Spanish to English translator used (not perfect) says the article reads thusly:

Strange Creature Found in Cerro Azul

The discovery of a strange creature in Cerro Azul has aroused controversy among the people, for while some say it may be a being from another planet, others simply believe that is an animal.

Four teenagers aged between 14 and 16 years, met him at the Jet Blue Hill, on Saturday, while having fun in the place.
As recounted one of them, they suddenly saw the creature emerging from a cave located behind the water jet. At her appearance and it began to climb over the rocks to one of them panicked and began to thrash him and throw sticks, getting killed, after which they threw into the water and ran.

Anyone? Anyone?

Here's our first guess - a hairless one of these:

Buzzard of the Week: Rodney McGill

2009-09-16T06:46:00.000-05:00

This weeks' buzzard story comes from the South Florida Sun Sentinel, where I do a tad of my Dolphin reading. However, this one is not sports-related.

Pastor Rodney McGill of New Hope Outreach Center in Jensen Beach, Florida and his wife Shalonda were convicted back in July on nine counts of obtaining mortgages by false representation, first degree grand theft and racketeering for fradulently obtaining some $1 million in real estate loans. At his sentencing, McGill turned his back on Judge Sherwood Bauer, Jr. as the pastor was handed a twenty-year prison term. Also, the good pastor had this little nugget to say at his counsel table last Tuesday:

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, for every witness called against me, I pray cancer in their lives, lupus, brain tumor, pancreatic cancer.

Wow. Just wow. Here's the Sun-Sentinel link. The unfortunate truth is that there are some that will associate Mr. McGill and, more specifically, his actions, with Christians and Christianity. That's saddening. One of the comments under the story is pretty humorous, but sad in a way, too:

Hey! I never knew this. You can PRAY so people you hate will DIE? Oh man, this is GREAT! I have a boat load of people I would like 6 feet under. Thanks SS Sun-Sentinel) for letting me know about this...

Sure, (and I realize the comment is tongue-in-cheek) we as human beings may feel this way at times, but this is the exact opposite of what Jesus said and did. Pastor McGill's words and actions, and I assume he probably has segments of followers at his Outreach Center backing him and influenced by him, are reprehensible in so many ways. Here's hoping that he finds the accountability he needs and Jesus, who forgives others and taught the same. Nonetheless, for his comments, Pastor McGill is The Realm's Buzzard of the Week.

Honorable mention to:

Serena Williams, who threatened a line judge at the U.S. Open
Anthony Fasano, Dolphins TE who fumbled twice against the Falcons
(but since both are related to the Dolphins, we don't eat our own)

Let me know your thoughts and any of your Buzzards of the Week, present company excluded, of course!

If You Loved Your Big Wheel...

2009-09-15T15:34:00.001-05:00

... as a kid, you're gonna go ape over the new Persu as an adult.

Reminds me of the Big Wheel and the Green Machine with some futuristic elements from the Jetsons or Meet the Robinsons thrown in. This is sure to be popular with boys and girls just like its childhood inspirations were.

I'm not normally a "car guy", but I gotta tell you, my inner geek comes out a little when I think about getting behind the wheel of this bad boy. 75 miles to the gallon and it can run all electric or Hybrid. And the leans around the curves? Oh yeah!! Like a theme park ride.

Make sure you check out the BBC videos showing the Danish version called the Carver being driven.

BTW, for those with kids, a new version of the Green Machine has been released by Huffy.

Hey Mom, watch this!!

Pick 1 or Pick 2: 1) 10 Best Songs of the '00s or 2) Top 5-10 Most Meaningful Songs to You

2009-09-15T06:54:00.002-05:00

Posting slackard that I am, here's another at least half post on the shoulders of yet another of our faithful commenters - Anonymous, (signed) BP. Back on the MRVSS post, Brett mentioned to me:

Oh, and Rich, a silly project I've been torturing myself with in my spare time this week is trying to determine the 10 best songs (or my 10 favorite, anyway) of '00's. A blog post on this subject might be enough to make Ken's head explode?

Seeing Ken's head explode always being a good thing, this exercise might be a good one to try. What are your 10 (more or less) best songs of the 2000s? We should get a lot of divergence on this one, if people participate.

------

I had been thinking of this one for a while, and I just decided to include this one with the other because I think it's easier. Obviously, music is dynamic and fluctuating, and favorites and bests can come and go depending on moods, age or stages of life, hearing a new great song, and on and on. However, looking back over your life, what five or ten songs are the most meaningful to your life? This can be any type or genre of music, any type of song. Rock, country, jazz, blues, soul, gospel, and then hymns, holiday favorites, national anthems, lullabies, opera pieces ~ nothing is excluded. Music that has influenced you, moved you, gotten you through tough times, tunes that remind you of someone dear, these are the songs I'm looking for, not necessarily and likely not your favorite or best five to ten songs. That would be a different post. For instance, I know two of mine would be:

1) The Lust, the Flesh, the Eyes, and the Pride of Life by the 77s

and

2) The Little Drummer Boy

So, if you're game, pick a list and let me know what you think. Best songs of the '00s, which is tough, or most meaningful songs to you, which should be easier.

Lost Musical Treasures in My Closet # 2: The Connells - Ring

2009-09-14T18:00:00.000-05:00

Back in 1993, yeah, that's sixteen years ago, after a few moderately successful albums but problems with a record label causing a three-year hiatus in their recording, this little re-energized band from Raleigh, North Carolina called The Connells put out the CD that I consider the height of their career, Ring. I had really enjoyed The Connells' One Simple Word previously, and Fun & Games and Boylan Heights had been pretty good as well. Ring, however, brought everything together for the band, as they hit on every song. Here's a CD that, for me, had no weak moments, and the music is as fresh today as it was sixteen years ago and will be after sixteen more, I'm quite certain.

What I really love is when every single song from a CD, at different times, encaptivates me. Very, very few CDs pull this off. Ring did for me. Over time, though, and even now, I'll still have one of Ring's tunes breezing through my mind. It's one thing to have a bad song stuck in your mind -- that's bothersome -- but when Doug MacMillan's soothing voice echoes one of Ring's ditties in between my ears, it's always welcome.

Of the twelve songs, I can only remember the up-tempo Slackjawed, the single New Boy, and the haunting '74-'75 getting any radio airplay at all. Nevertheless, any of the songs seemed radio-ready to me. Upbeat numbers like Carry My Picture, Hey You, and Burden along with the aforementioned Slackjawed were interspersed with mid- and slower-tempo songs, but all of them had immediate hooks, and I was in love. After a few Connells CDs that I thought were great in the front half but a little weaker on the B-side, Ring doesn't falter but actually picks up. Spiral and Disappointed, two slower songs, sandwich the the rocking Hey You and stellar New Boy, which is a string of songs that I'd say highlights the CD if Slackjawed and Running Mary, the fantastic closer, weren't also such banner songs.

When I found Ring just the other day in a stack of CDs, I fell in love all over again.

Who's Behind Our Now?

2009-09-14T06:05:00.003-05:00

Wanted to share a little write-up by my Sunday School teacher, Heinrich Dubose-Schmidt, after he listened to a forty-five minute R.C. Sproul commentary on the life of Joseph (Old Testament). I'll add just a few thoughts at the end. Here's what he wrote:

Remember when Joseph had suffered for 13 years but had later been made the Prime Minister of all Egypt? His brothers come to Egypt looking for food during the 7 year famine, but they don't recognize Joseph at all although he recognizes them. As part of a test to see if they've changed, Joseph accuses them of being spies and says they must prove themselves by leaving one of their own (Simeon) until they can bring back their youngest brother still at home (Benjamin).

They return home without their brother, and tell their father Jacob (also known as Israel) all that had transpired. The brothers also discover that all their silver to pay for the food is in their sacks, and they are all frightened. Remember -- Jacob thinks his youngest, most-favored son, Joseph, is dead, and now he's given news that one of his older sons is hostage in Egypt and the Prime Minister is demanding to see his youngest Benjamin. In Genesis 42:36, Jacob utters these words: "You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!" (NIV)

As you read those words, I hope Jacob's despair and anguish came through. From his perspective, the whole world is against him; even as a believer, he was filled with despair at the circumstances of life. But, think about the reality for a moment -- Simeon is probably safer now than he's ever been in his life under the care of the Prime Minister (Joseph his brother). Joseph is not "no more" but is alive! In fact, he is working to preserve Jacob's entire family. Benjamin will be safe in Egypt, and while things seem bleak, everything is working out for Jacob.

So what does this mean for us? It doesn't mean that all of our tough times will have a rosy ending. It does mean that we should trust in our God who sovereignly and purposefully works all things to His glory and works all things for our good. The path we're on right now may seem dark and bleak, but God is working in and through and around us. We must trust in His fatherly care.
-------

At least a few times in my life, I have railed to God about circumstances that have afflicted me -- situations that have come about by chance, personal decisions, personal wrong-doing, or others' wrong-doing. Certainly, I can identify with Jacob in this story when he cries, "Everything is against me!" While sometimes I realize that I only have myself to blame, at other times all I can see is a vast inequity of how random, or sometimes calculated, circumstances have stacked against me. As these life events unwind, I usually do find myself going to God, but do I really ever think, behind the scenes, the Lord is working life out for my benefit? For my good? Hardly ever. And it's hard. Very hard to think this way when life appears bleakest.

Nonetheless, a story like this one encourages me to rethink my own attitudes, and not only my attitude about life but my attitude toward God. Because I'm human, I see the surface but don't see in 3-D, figuratively speaking. God is sovereign, and He does. He Is. I can't figure out the Almighty, and really He's God, and it just is that way. However, I know Him enough through Jesus, my Good Shepherd, to know He loves me. At the same time, He loves me enough not to give me everything I want. Heinrich's last paragraph sums it up. Not all our endings will end up rosy. Our job, my job and my attitude, has to be to trust God anyway, through anything and everything.

No matter what's happening now, Someone's behind it.

Secret Sauce and More

2009-09-11T13:45:00.002-05:00

Secret recipes, secret formulas, secret sauce, mystery meat, and now this:

Secret Menus at Fast food restaurants

I was skeptical, as I am wont to be. So, I did a little more checking on this and found these too:

Christian Science Monitor article

Secret Menus including sit-down chains

A lot of the references seem to emanate from the same source, and you know the Internet.

So... Truth or Urban Legend? If you've held a position on "the other side of the counter" or have success ordering some of these interesting dishes, let us know.

Also, what exactly is the fascination with having insider information and getting something that no one else knows about... and then telling everyone else about it?

TGIF

2009-09-11T06:29:00.000-05:00

Ever really give any conscious thought as to why we love Fridays so much? Is it:

a) because we're lazy bums that have such disdain for work or school, we just can't wait to get away from the drudgery of those two industrious enterprises?

b) we get to, by-and-large, do household or outdoors chores rather than work-related ones, and household and outdoor chores are so much more fun?

c) because church or mass is on Sunday (or Saturday for some), and only two more days (or one) until you get there?

d) because Fridays start with the letter F, and all that that entails?

e) because most of our escapism occurs on weekends, if we don't count the ongoing daydreams during the week?

f) because our kids don't wake us up early on weekends? (Riii-iiiight.)

g) because you have dinner with your relatives or in-laws each Friday?

h) because everyone else likes it, I should, too?

I don't know. Similar to most everyone else, I like Fridays. I don't have a real good reason or any reason except bits and pieces of a) and e) above, and then there's also a minor twinge of that little feeling you get (or maybe I'm alone in this) when you walk out of work right before holidays or when you have time off for a vacation. A little lightness of being. I usually get that feeling when I leave work Friday unless I have to work over the weekend.

What about you? Like Fridays? Why? Tell me the glass half-full mind set all you optimists out there while I'm busy being Eeyore.

Anyway, as I was saying, Thank God It's Friday.

(Go Dolphins! War Eagle!)

Since I'm Going to Be Heading to the Bookstore Anyway...

2009-09-09T17:03:00.006-05:00

...because Kevin has talked me into purchasing at least the first book in the Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever series, I wanted to throw out the question to our Realm denizens, what REALLY good children's or teens books have you read lately? Anything I should have on my list? Ken and I are writing an action/adventure, we're sending off a picture book to publishers, we've written a fantasy, and Dorkman was a contemporary piece of juvenile literature. So as you can see, my interests run the gamut -- I just want good books.

My son, who is about to turn eleven, has raved to me about the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan, and I've ordered four of the five of those from his Scholastic book brochure from school along with three of Mike Lupica's sports fiction books, which I'm very interested to read. Along with those, I ordered the last Potter book - haven't read that yet (nor the sixth, although I've seen the movie). Please let me know if you've read any of these, and, if so, I'd like to hear thoughts without spoilers.

However, I always like to go and get something in kid's fiction that I'm totally psyched to read. Let me hear a few titles with a blurb or two about why they were great to you. And though I'm more interested in kid's lit because that's what we write, if there's just something in adult fiction you can't help but get off your chest because it's sooooooooooo good, then let me hear that, too. We can't get to them all in The Realm Book Club, can we? Pretty please, then, shoot me with your bow of ideas and send an arrow through my heart!

The For Everyone Series - Tom Wright

2009-09-08T22:36:00.012-05:00

Just a recommendation because I've gotten a lot out of this series. I'll try to keep it fairly brief.

A lot of you may know that N.T. (Tom) Wright, Bishop of Durham, noted New Testament scholar, theologian, and historian, has written over thirty books, both for academic and for popular readership, focusing on different aspects of Christianity. The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is ranks as one of my top non-fiction reads and illuminates Jesus in ways I seldom, if ever, thought. I also started wading into his Christian Origins series, but to be bluntly honest, I think those volumes may be a little too much for me.

Here, though, I want to plug Tom Wright's For Everyone series, and especially the Gospel editions. If you're interested in who Jesus was from a historical standpoint combined with a discussion of what scripture is saying in that context, because really, they go hand-in-hand, then I can't recommend a series of Biblical commentaries more than this one.

I'll just give a couple of instances from Mark for Everyone, snippets that show scripture in a new light for me, to illustrate why I enjoy these books so much. The first one comes from the Mark 2:1-12 passage. Here's verses 1-5:

1A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. 5When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

Wright actually quotes all twelve verses, but I'm just listing these five because of what Wright then states regarding just these. Perhaps I've been dense all these years, but I never thought this:

Most people don't realize that this was probably Jesus' own house. He had moved to Capernaum from Nazareth; the point of the first two verses is that when Jesus returned from his short preaching trip around the neighbouring villages, he found crowds pressing around the door as though he were a movie star or
well-known footballer. Jesus himself was the unlucky householder who had his roof ruined that day.

This opens up quite a new possibility for understanding what Jesus said to the paralyzed man. How would you feel if someone made a big hole in your roof? But Jesus looks down and says with a rueful smile: "All right - I forgive you!" Something in his voice, though, made them all realize this was different. This forgiveness went deeper than domestic disputes. Jesus was speaking with a quiet authority which went down into the paralyzed man's innermost being. Not surprisingly, those around him felt uneasy. Only the priests could declare forgiveness, speaking in the name of God. If that's what the man needed, his friends should take him to the Temple in Jerusalem, not to a wandering preacher.

I think I had heard, maybe some time ago when I was a kid, that perhaps it was Peter's mother-in-law's house, but even that had passed mostly out of my mind. It just never occurred to me that this was Jesus' own house. So, yeah, when Jesus tells the man his sins are forgiven, the man probably understands he has sins, but then he's also just had his friends cut a hole in This Guy's roof so he could be healed. Also, I knew that crowds followed Him when he preached, and I suppose I'm dense, but I never figured they were like the paparazzi there at his doorstep. Really, I think a lot of times, I've failed to see in Jesus' humanity, some of the day-to-day stuff that I take for granted, i.e. coming home to my house and relaxing for one.

With nearly every passage of scripture, Wright has dozens of similar nuggets that just make the mind reel. The one other scripture passage -- I won't quote this one -- is Mark 14:12-25 and concerns the Last Supper. I will, however, quote a bit from the commentary:

It's a deep human instinct -- I believe a God-given one -- that we mark significant moments with significant meals. Sharing a meal, especially a festive one, binds together a family, a group of friends, a collection of colleagues. Such meals say more than we could ever put into words about who we are, how we feel about one another, and the hopes and joys that we share together. The meal not only feeds our bodies; that seems in some ways the least signficant part of it. It says something; and it does something, actually changing us so that, after it, part of who we are is 'the people who shared that meal together, with all that it meant.'

How true is this?! He goes on to speak about the Jewish festivals and what they celebrated with these meals and, of course, leads into the Last Supper, Jesus sharing with His disciples. Going back to the eating meals together, I think of my family's special dinners at holidays - Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Years, Easter - celebrating annual events in our lives. The fact that we're full at the end and that the food was good, well, that is nice. However, the special part is the togetherness, the sharing of our lives, and the binding of our spirits during these times. Wright puts these thoughts together and crystalizes them in a way, over and over, I think, "Yeah!"

I know Tom Wright has his critics with hard-lined reformed Christians, and I know I don't agree with him even on some of the things he writes in the For Everyone books. However, all that stuff really goes out the window for me when I just get down to reading the Bible verses and then hearing what Wright has to say in the For Everyone books. It expands everything for me. To me, it doesn't matter what denomination you may be, and really, I don't think it matters whether you're a Christian or not a Christian, if you're looking to find out about who Jesus was/is. I think everyone can learn a lot about who Jesus was as a man in his particular era, and then learn what orthodox Christianity says about Him as God the Son.

If you ever read one, let me know what you think.

Do Ya?

2009-09-07T12:40:00.009-05:00

Some "Do you..." questions for The Realm at large. Only answer ones you want to, if you want to at all.

1) Do ya write, blog, or think better if you're in a carefree or melancholy mood?

2) Do ya read more than two novels a month?

3) Do ya prefer JRR Tolkien or C.S. Lewis as a writer of fantasy? Or do you prefer someone else altogether?

4) Do ya sing in the shower?

5) Do ya ever take an overnight trip or longer, just by yourself, to refresh, commune with God or nature, or just get away?

6) Do ya read non-fiction as a practice? If so, what do you read, mostly?

7) Do ya eat yogurt?

8) Do ya have a favorite holiday moment?

9) Do ya have a favorite author? Who?

10) Do ya like running for the sake of running and being fit?

11) Do ya say grace before meals?

12) Do ya like college or pro sports more?

13) Do ya dance in privacy by yourself or with your kids?

14) Do ya have a one favorite movie scene? TV show scene? Book passage?

15) Do ya have a favorite all-time villian or bad guy from a book? Who?

16) Do ya prefer reminiscing about the past or planning for future events?

17) Do ya have a favorite family game? What?

18) Do ya know of other great blogs? Tell us what they are and why you like them.

19) Do ya eat your food one item at a time or all mixed together?

20) Do ya believe that real live dinosaurs still exist somewhere on earth?

21) Do ya like the ELO song Do Ya? It's thirty years old, but I think it still rocks as much as any song today. If you like it, I've hooked on a YouTube recording on the backside of the post. Just hit the "Read More" link. It's okay. You don't have to thank me. Or do ya?

The Realm Book Club

2009-09-06T14:09:00.004-05:00

"Austin, you're a reader!!"

Heart-warming words to any parent, teacher, or lover of the written word, no doubt.

But since many of us already proclaim to be readers (except for the occasional subject line of favorite spot posts), and some of us even purport to be writers (except for the occasional botch-job when attempting to spell "apocryphal"), I propose the founding of The Realm Book Club (hereafter referred to as RBC).

However, for a club to be official, we must have a standing body of members, a stated goal, five or thirty groundrules, and potentially some shameless initiation ritual.

As the proposer of the RBC, let me be the first to add my name to the enrollment list. I know that this has the potential to hinder future enrollment endeavors, but so be it.

I would also like to suggest that our stated goal be: to read one book per month as a group and then discuss its merits, shortcomings, subtextual blah, blah, blah, etc in the comments section of an RBC post here at the Realm.

As far as groundrules, I'll start the ball rolling with: 1) the selection of the book to be read will be rotated through membership each month, 2) book genre must NOT repeat the previous month's genre, 3) book length must be less than 500 pages, 4) book should be something that no one in the group has read in the last fifteen years, 5) no Oprah books.

Let me know, if you would like to be added to the RBC rolls, and then I'd like to hear your thoughts on our goal, groundrules, hazing, and so on.

A verbis ad verbera

Two-thirds of the World is Covered by Water

2009-09-06T10:04:00.003-05:00

The rest is covered by Sean Smith.

Go Dolphins!!!

Catching Up to the Present: Ken Just Bought TP&tHBs Greatest Hits, and I Just Started Watching the X-Files

2009-09-05T07:45:00.012-05:00

Just the other day, Ken called me from the music section of one of the department stores, I think it was Target, as he was leafing through CDs and picking a couple to buy. I started asking about his choices and if the store had this or that. Ken indulged me, like he often does, because he's a great guy. A lot of what I'd recommend, I knew Target wasn't the place, but that didn't stop me from trying. Subsequent to a few band names that probably had him shaking his head, Ken decided it'd be easier to tell me what they did have rather than search for a lot of CDs they wouldn't. He started listing some music where I was "no", "no, you don't want that" and "oh, you've got to be kidding". Then, he casually mentioned Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Greatest Hits, on sale. What? TP&tHBs? Even Ken, methinks, would have that staple. I mean, I know him enough to know that he'd like TP, and, really, I was kind of surprised that his CD collection didn't have at least one of the TP/HBs classics -Damn the Torpedoes, Hard Promises, Long After Dark, or Southern Accents. As he scanned the songs on the CD, he knew American Girl but after that, unless he was yanking my chain -- always possible, but he sounded honest -- he didn't recognize hardly anything. Listen to Her Heart? I Need to Know? Don't Do Me Like That? Even the Losers? Here Comes My Girl? The Waiting? No, no, no, no, no, and no - he said he didn't recognize anything - I think I may have gotten a hesitant yes at Don't Come Around Here No More or Freefallin'. Now, I'm no psychiatrist, but this, to me, sounded like an urgent cry for help. My thoughts were: where had Ken been all this time and please, Ken, be joking? Immediately, I told him to get the CD. I went so far as to say I'd buy it from him for the sale price plus tax if he didn't like it, even though I already have it and have had it for years. Inside, because I'm a little bit, or a lot a bit, of a jerk sometimes, that little "music elitist" (which is really a joke - because I have no talent for singing or playing an instrument, and really only have this subjective taste like anyone else, but mine is just a little more narrow - and for whatever reason, I take pride in that -- yeah, that's the SIN pride), part of me scoffed at my friend (I'm apologizing now Ken - SORRY!) for not being on the musical "in", whatever that is, for so, so long.

Mirror reflection.

Just a day before that, I was in Wal-Mart with my kids, and I saw a package deal, Season 1 and Season 2 of The X-Files, on for $16.99. I remember when the X-Files hit way back in the early to mid-1990s, and I had a lot of good folks recommend it to me. Because I am like I am (well, I've been working on it since), I resisted, then, in getting caught up in something about which everyone else raved, even though, when hearing about the episodes and arc, I knew I'd like it. Over the years, I've caught a few X-Files shows in syndication, and I've always gotten wrapped up in them when I've watched. Since the syndicated shows I watched were at 1 a.m., however, it made it hard to keep up a steady diet. Plus, there was no chronology in the shows I watched. A few had Mulder and Scully, but others had Scully and Doggett and then Doggett and someone else, and then I couldn't figure out what all had taken place. Anyway, to make a short story that I've made longer but am trying to rectify that from the rambling mess of where this post could go, I bought The X-Files Season 1/Season 2. I'm five episodes into Season 1 and, of course, am hooked. All the accolades, at least to this point in my watching, seem well-deserved. And it just makes me think, what in the world was I thinking back in time when other folks, people I trusted and that knew me, told me that I'd love The X-Files? Not hard to see that it was, once again, pride. On the scale of things, I'm fortunate that watching a TV show isn't a big deal, so this time, my pride hurting me is just looking silly for starting to watch a TV show now that I could have been "in on" sixteen years ago. No real harm. Unfortunately, and as an aside, my pride has, believe it or not, reared it's smirky face in other, BIGGER, instances, for real harm - but maybe those another time. And maybe not.

For now, if anyone is a fan of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers or The X-Files, you're welcome to crack on me and/or Ken for being so out of the loop for no good reason. You can especially crack on Ken, because my feelings get hurt easily. I like giving, but taking's not really my thing, if that's okay ;). Nah, I'm kidding, give me what you got!

OR! You could take a higher road, and share some of either your TP or X-File insight with us.

OR! Even better, you could join in my lament on living in the past, having to catch up to the present, and hardly ever glimpsing the future. What are some of the "in"-type things, that you're trying and/or might like now, that were more popular back then. Hopefully, not wearing plaid golfer pants (I've still got enough pride in me to scoff at you if you're doing that, and scoff I will).

AND! Just so everyone realizes I'm not sociopathic without a conscience, the moral I've learned from all this, because it's so very important to apply life lessons correctly, is this:

DON'T EVER LAUGH AT KEN. NEVER. NOT EVER.
NOT FOR ANY REASON AT ALL.

I'm Small - I Admit It

2009-09-04T19:38:00.020-05:00

That said, I hereby submit my official response to Ken's post that is so magnificent in its utter awfulness. Here are my choices for the picture I want next to my name:>

First, I'd like to try Evil Ken.

Of course, I'm not evil like that, so maybe something heroic would work better. What about Ken the Eagle?

Really, though, neither villian nor hero fit my personna. I think this one does a better job of capturing me:

Naaaaaah. In the end, cartoons really don't work. What about the real deal? I mean, who am I really? Isn't this really my Maslowian actualized real self?

Nope. None of those. I've got to be me. This is the one:

THIS HAS GOT TO BE BY MY NAME!!!
Put it there pretty please!

Pick a Picture for Rich

2009-09-04T17:14:00.009-05:00

Bottom line: Rich needs a user profile picture.

But knowing him like I do, I know that he won't ever get around to actually choosing one. And he certainly wouldn't want to use an actual photo of himself. That's just our lovable Mr. Pearce.

So, we need to help him.

Your mission is straight-forward. Below you will find five potential user profile pictures. Rank them from Most Rich to Least Rich.

Then, I've got the dubious task of hand-holding and cajoling to get him to upload it onto his profile.

Good luck to all of us. It's a worthwhile cause.

c) d) e)

The Snowflake Method

2009-09-04T12:45:00.001-05:00

Plotting is hard.

There I've said it.

In the past, Rich has been known to give me undue credit for my plot development role in our writing projects. I think this is because I feel very strongly about strong plots. Not to diminish the other key aspects of writing (e.g. we are also adamant proponents of excellent characterization), but to me plot is the story.

In the writing workshop that we do at schools, we define plot as "How the main character gets what he/she wants". Having an interesting premise is great, but without the compelling plot with its harrowing obstacles, climax, and resolution, you're just wasting your time.

But plotting is hard. Maybe I mentioned that before.

That's why I was intrigued when I ran across the reference and link to Randy Ingermanson's snowflake method at Joanna's blog: Just a Lyric in a Children's Rhyme. I've read books on plotting, but the snowflake method put things in simpler terms and used an analogy, which dumbed it down so that even I could follow along easily.

If you're one of our resident writers, I recommend that you check out the Snowflake Method. You never snow, it might be just the thing you needed.

X Degrees of Separation (DugALugs's Game)

2009-09-03T06:48:00.009-05:00

All credit to Doug for this one.

One of the cool things about going back and re-reading some of the classic standards laid out spectacularly by our own Diabolical Genius here in The Realm in his All-Time Favorite Realm Posts post, is that some of your -- you, our fair Realm denizens -- comments were golden. One such comment in the Cliches of the World post -- and that post is an outstanding example of our commenters making The Realm of Possibility far better than it could be with just Ken or me rambling -- was from our pal, DugALug who suggested a game that will probably remind you, of the old Six Degrees from Kevin Bacon exercise. I'm gonna lay out Doug's comment, in its entirety, right here for game instructions and examples:

Rich/Ken

Here is an idea for a post. How about calling it something like X degrees of separation. Start with an item/object/person/place Using one commmon word from the current state for the seed of the transitioned state. Here are two examples:

1) Bart Simpson
2) O.J. Simpson (The Juice)
3) Juice Newton
4) Orange Juice
5) Orange Julius
6) King Julius Caesar
7) Elvis Presley (The King)
8) Lisa Marie Presley
9) Lisa Marie Simpson (Bart's sister)

Or

1) Poison Ivy
2) Ivy League
3) Justice League of America
4) Captain America
5) Captain Cave Man
6) The Bat Cave
7) Batman

What do you think?

-Doug

Well, I'll tell you what I think, Doug. I think it's a great idea to try. So -- and this may be a bit of a departure from your rules, Douggie, but I think it might help the continuity of an ongoing Net game -- we can use one liners or characters from books, movies, TV shows, and then famous sayings, historical figures, lines from historical speeches, pop culture references, etc. to try to keep our connected separations going. Just one word has to match from the comment above. Also, like all these sort of games that we try, let's try not to post consecutively unless the game stagnates to the point someone feels like they have to if they want to try to keep it going -- I'll try to keep the comments moderated frequently so we don't have overlaps. This should be a great memory exercise for all of us, and let's try to get some clever references so it's fun!

I'll get it started in the first comment block.

[Ed. Note: Doug, if I've mischaracterized the game - just start it over in a comment, and tell us how it's done. Thanks, man!]

{Ed. Note 2: Forget the promise of trying to keep comments moderated frequently so we don't have overlaps.}

{Ed. Note 3: I will now embrace the overlap, intentionally posting a few of my own.}

Scents You Asked

2009-09-02T17:51:00.003-05:00

[Ed. note: This post is for Milly and all the other great-smelling Lords and Ladies of the Realm.]

I love smells. Well, not all of them. But I do love the idea that invisible molecules wafting through the air can create intense reactions of pleasure or aversion.

{Disclaimer: The author of this post appreciates all 5 senses equally and would not want to be deprived of any of them. The above paragraph is just his goofy attempt to begin a blog post which focuses on the sense of smell and in no way intends to slander or diminish the importance of any and/or all of the other 4 well-respected senses. Thank you.}

When you visit someone else's house or ride in their car... or get closer to them than you usually do... you are introduced immediately to the curiosity that is their personal smell. Maybe the smell is dominated by pets, or exotic foods, or candles, or poor hygiene, or fantastic hygiene, but in any case there it is... confronting you.

This smell could be a repulsive odor or a haunting fragrance, but regardless, your nose runs (not as in dripping) through your accumulated smell memory banks frantically searching for a match or etching a new entry which will never be forgotten.

The smell could be an obvious repeat offender. The smell could be deliciously mysterious: an olfactory puzzle to be solved. The smell could trigger past associations with another time and place. Or the smell could prompt evasive maneuvers.

Scents you're still reading and not because you asked me, here are my very own categorical smell rankings. See if they pass your sniff test, and then give me your own aroma winners and losers. Please don't think that because you've smelt it that anyone here will think you dealt it.

And by all means, if you have a funny smell story, do tell. I'm sure I'm not the only "smeller feller" around here.

Top 5 Best Smells (Overall)

A clean baby
Chocolate chip cookies baking

The mixture of plumeria and sugar cane in the Hawaiian air

A Spring afternoon shower

Model airplane glue

Honorable mention: The smell of the beach when you first arrive

Top 5 Worst Smells

A paper mill

Vomit in a hot car

Sour milk

Nursing homes (sorry)

A football locker room

Honorable mention: Coffee/beer breath

Top 5 Parfumes/Colognes

Sunflowers

White Linen

Old Spice

Victoria's Secret Heavenly

Chanel No. 5

Honorable mention: Beautiful

Top 5 Food Smells (other than above)

Pit barbecue

Fresh peaches

Chili

Fresh-baked bread

Bacon

Honorable mention: Vanilla extract

Top 5 Plant/Tree Smells (other than above)

Roses

Sassafras tree roots

Coffee beans

Drying tobacco leaves

Cinnamon bark

Honorable mention: Spruce trees

Top 5 Worst Plant/Tree Smells (other than above)

Bradford pear blooms

Dead leaves

Freshly-cut grass

Geraniums

Scotch broom

Honorable mention: Wild onions

Chupacabra Finally Found in Texas?

2009-09-02T16:46:00.002-05:00

Here's the story and video from CNN.

You be the judge.

Koobecaf

2009-09-02T06:20:00.000-05:00

In case anyone here does not yet know, Ken and I have bowed down. We're now on Facebook as "Pearce Story". Apparently, and I've tried hard -- well, I've tried as hard as I usually do with things like this, Facebook rejects the "&" and "and" usage as middle names or in first or last names. So we can't be "Pearce & Story", like we really are. We have to be Pearce Story, whoever that person is (also, if your name is Pearce Story, a thousand apologies). Phooey.

Anyway, if you're not already a Facebook friend and would like to be, "friend us". (Is that the cool way to say it?). I mean, we're really, really good at it. It's almost like our blogging. Here's a list of the fringe benefits we offer:

Between zero and few photos

Inane "experiences" we share with Facebook friends

Probably not many mutual friends

$50 "friendship fee" that Ken will mail to you personally so that we don't look like total losers... only partial - because that's important to us

For those of you who have not received your fee, please let Ken know in the comments. We'll get it right to you. The postal system these days...

[Pearce & Story not responsible as a writing partnership, or individually, for the non-payment of friendship fees as stated in the above.]

S-P-I-D-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

2009-09-01T16:49:00.000-05:00

Subtitled: Hey there, hi there, ho there. How'd you like 4 billion dollars there?

Well true believers, I never thought I'd see the day, but it's upon us. And even Galactus is shakin' in his boots at the implications.

In case you missed the shockwave that swept through a couple different universes and don't know what I'm talking about, here it is:

Disney buys Marvel.

BOOM! ZAP! CRAACK!! Hakuna Matata!!

If this rocks your world like it does mine, take a deep breath, think of the possibilities, and let me know what you think. If you're a Disney fan or a Marvel fan, is this a good thing or a bad thing?

Personally, I'm kind of excited about the epic Captain Hook vs. Wolverine battles we're sure to see. Not to mention The Incredibles/Fantastic Four team-ups.

Lights Out

2009-09-01T06:04:00.000-05:00

A moment of silence in The Realm. After 72 years, Guiding Light has called it quits. What started as a 15-minute serial radio show that expanded to 30, and took its soapy camp to TV in 1952, and finally over time went to an hour... well, it's done.

Maybe someone would like to say a few words? If I actually ever watched it, perhaps I could eulogize it better. I didn't, though.

As far as you know.

All-time Favorite Realm Posts

2009-08-30T23:06:00.000-05:00

Now that we’ve reached 400 posts, (Yay!) we’d like to take a little time to stop, smell the roses, and do something self-serving. The good news is that you get to help us realize this little narcissistic dream. (Yay again!).

We would like to put sidebar links to the all-time favorite Realm posts of all-time so that we can easily go back and as Tom Petty once put it, “revel in our abandon”.

Trouble is, (and I know this part is shocking) Rich and I can’t agree on which posts were the bestest of the best: the ones that were the most fun or the most meaningful, the most memorable or the cheesiest.

Pay attention now, because this is where your help will be very helpful. We want your opinions. We want you to choose.

Now I know you’re saying, “Wait a minute guys. Out of the 400 posts, I probably don’t have more than 263 of them memorized.” Well, that’s okey dokey, because we thought of that, and they don’t call us Potentates for nothin’.

We’ve picked a handful of candidates from the last 3 plus years and linked them below (in no particular order (unless alphabetical is particular)). Use this or the “Things We Tend to Bloviate About” topical index to jog back to the original post and refresh your memory. Then scroll down to the bottom of the page and vote using the handy-dandy poll tool. IT’S THAT EASY.

And if some of your favorites are missing, just come back up to the comments section of this post and enter your write-in vote. We’ll add it to the poll just as soon as we can pull ourselves away from the excellent post assembly line.

Thanks and here’s to another 400 posts as great as these !!

An Open Letter Full of Tough Love (Intervention Attempt #2)
Changing Your Major
Cliches of the World
Dear, Dear Me (Intervention Attempt #1)
Do I Stand Alone On the Garden
Dream On
Gaining a Little Perspective
Giants in History
Good Cheese/ Bad Cheese – The 70’s
Haiku, Haiku Very Much
Happily Ever After
IV
Lately I’ve Been Moved
Legitimate Biblical Question #1
Life On Other Planets
More than you wanted to tell, but so what
Now as the Train Pulls Away
Offer
Poopy Doopy
Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head Blog Game
Red Checks
Redemption in Elizabethtown
Something or Nothing #3
Soul Mates for Dummies
The Psychology of The Sandlot
The Wisdom of Ben Wade
Thirteenismic
Top Ten Christmas Specials
Versus
What if I’m Paranoid and Right?
“What is That? A PEZ Dispenser?”

And Now a Word From Our Sponsor

2009-08-29T21:48:00.006-05:00

Word.

Oops! Just remembered, we don't have a sponsor.

Not that we're boycotting posting or anything, but once Ken wrote up the Realm All-Time Favorite list, which took hours and hours to find and link all those posts - no kidding - we wanted to give folks time to read over their favorite posts of our last 400 or so and vote accordingly, especially for those who haven't been here from the beginning - which, really, is most. Only a handful of people have voted so far, and we were hoping to garner a few more votes, so please vote if you have not yet. When "newbies" come to The Realm, it will give people a decent list to check out to find out some of our better, more thoughtful, more commented on, etc. posts -- a cover of sorts by which to judge the book.

After a day or so, I'll move this post down and put the All-Time Favorite post on top once more. After these few days of voting, our normal posting shall resume, for better or worse. What's more, I might bump the Raindrops post up to cherry pick a few more comments. Some of Ken's more recent posts have unexpectedly gathered a bunch of comments, and I can't have those lame ducks overtaking the classic Raindrops post. I apologize to everyone for that, because I'm just as guilty as anyone for driving up the numbers on those posts. But the buck stops here. Yes, I'm that small.

Okay, carry on, all. If you've already voted and come here looking for more content, we apologize. You're welcome to discuss anything that's come up in the world or your world in the comments of this post. If there's anything at all, we'll talk!

Thanks again for voting, everyone that has and will! Also, I want to personally thank Ken and tell him right here, with nothing but love, THANKS FOR WORKING UP THE ALL-TIME LIST, Bud! You're awesome! Very much appreciated!

Television With and Without Pity

2009-08-26T06:23:00.010-05:00

The snarky Television Without Pity (TWoP) has put out it's Fall lists, so let's run through a few of these, shall we?

Because it's the most fun, let's hit the Worst New Shows first. Take a look at the link because I won't be listing but a few. Still, take a gander of a few of the gems on this list:

Melrose Place: I saw on MSN that Heather Locklear had signed on. She's not in the pic they have up, and I doubt she could save this one. Well, save it in my eyes, I mean. Somehow, 90210 the 2nd is still on TV.

The Vampire Diaries: I guess this is Twilight the TV show. Vampires are the rage right now, so maybe it has a chance. It'll have to take that chance sans Rich. I won't be watching.

Accidentally on Purpose: When I saw a preview of this show, I thought it was a Big Bang Theory knockoff. Unfortunately, reading about it, it sounds worse.

Eastwick: Didn't like the movie, Witches of Eastwick, so can't imagine watching or enjoying a second-rate version.

Mercy: What?! A show about a hospital? What an ingenious idea! Man, I wish I could be the one who thinks of these things. This is the reason I still work in Contracts.

Hank: Kelsey Grammar is back, apparently fired from his job and living with hillbillies in Virginia. Does that mean Washington DC?

Gotta think I'm with TWoP on these and the others it lists as the awfuls. Can't imagine watching any of them

Looking at brighter concepts, let's now skim through what TWoP considers the Best New Shows. Again, I won't be listing all of these, and you could certainly find a winner for yourself in the ones I don't mention (like, I'm not going to mention Glee).

Community: Does anyone remember Chevy Chase? I think they've got him teaching law here. The premise of this show gives it a chance, but I'm not sure how long it'll keep the attention.

The Good Wife: Probably not my type of show, but Julianna Margulies was very good in her run on ER, and Chris Noth seems to fit the smarmy, politician type to a tee. It has potential.

Cougar Town: Okay, I'm boycotting this one on title alone. Cougar Town? Cougar Town. Courteney Cox is in it. A divorced wife moving on. TWoP says it's funny and works. Okay.

FlashForward: Don't know anything about this one except the whole humna race suffers a blackout for two minutes, and everyone gets a glimpse of their future. Heard a preview on that.

V: COUNT ME IN!!! The '80s miniseries with the lizard aliens revamped, and Morena Baccarin (from the awesome Firefly) stars! Abso-BANNERMAN-lutley!!!

Like I said, take a look at some of the others. Maybe there's a new show you might find interesting enough to let it garner 30 minutes or an hour of your life each week.

And then TWoP discusses it's Best and Worst Returning Shows for if Fall 2009 TV Preview.

90210 - Worst: Melrose Place we've already discussed. Must we go on with this tripe?

One Tree Hill - Worst: Gone are Chad Michael Murray and Hilarie Burton. I thought those two were the reasons people watched this show.

Bones - Worst: TWoP really likes this show, but they're penalizing it for it's lame finale. Along with The Mentalist, these are my dad's favorite TV shows. Bones shouldn't be listed as a "Worst", but then, I don't think it's a "Best", either.

Fringe - Best: I've always been interested about this show but never found the time to watch. Has anyone ever seen it?

The Office - Best: After a bit of a lapse, last season was good, and this season has the potential to be better. Certainly one of the best sit-coms of the 2000s.

Parks and Recreation - Worst: This show is another that shouldn't be listed as a "Worst" but isn't anywhere close to a "Best".

Dollhouse - Best: Josh Whedon's association alone is probably enough to for me to say this is a watchable show; however, I've never seen it. Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

Curb Your Enthusiasm: - Best: It's back, and this time with some Seinfeld characters. Because it's on HBO, I don't get to see this one, but I did see some of the old shows, and some were really funny.

The Big Bang Theory - Best: We can all just say we like this one. It's been mentioned before here at The Realm.

Castle - Best: Nate Fillion (that's right, Firefly, once again) does the heavy lifting on this one. I watched my first Castle the other night, and I enjoyed it.

Heroes - Worst: Year One of Heroes - great. Year Everything Else - real, real bad. Convoluted. Too bad. I had such hopes.

House - Best: Hugh Laurie is simply magnificent. But then, if you don't see it now, is there a show that's in syndication more than House? It's the new Law and Order of re-runs.

How I Met Your Mother - Best: I've heard this show is funny. Never seen it.

Grey's Anatomy - Worst: I love TWoP for saying stuff like this. Thank you.

The Mentalist - Best: Not my favorite - my dad's favorite. Take that for what it's worth.

Smallville - Worst: Sometimes, the best shows hold on too long.

Desperate Housewives - Worst: Again, thank you, TWoP.

So many I didn't list, but hopefully you get something out of what I did. Check out TWoP here and there. Some of their recaps are hilarious, if you're into that sort of reading. It's not for everyone; certainly not for kids.

Lastly, before I go, is there anything good you're watching right now? I've watched a couple episodes of Warehouse 13, and the jury's still out for me. Also, Royal Pains season finale is Thursday, and that show has been fun, although it ranks # 3 on USA for me after Psych and Burn Notice. [Late Addition: I've also watched Merlin a couple times on Sunday nights, and that's been kind of fun to explain to my kids.]

Tell me what you think is good, bad, and completely unwatchable.

The Greenhouse Effect

2009-08-24T21:19:00.005-05:00

Why does The Realm of Possibility look like it just got peed on by a deranged leprechaun?

SOMEBODY TURN IT OFFFFFFFFF!!!!!!!!!

[Please, please, please don't tell me this nightmare is spinning off from Ken's multi-colored iris post. See what kind of nonsense happens when people start encouraging him by commenting carte blanche on some of his lamer posts. Let this be a lesson to anyone and everyone who starts feeling the pity. This happens! Let's nip it in the bud before it gets out of hand. Puh-leeeeaze!!!]

Not That I'm Upset Or Anything...

2009-08-24T08:05:00.003-05:00

...but I just heard coming into work today on the Mike & Mike Radio Show on ESPN Radio that both Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic picked the Miami Dolphins to finish the NFL Season with a miserable 7-9 record. I'm no genius, but that insinuates that my Dolphins won't be making the playoffs. To pour salt in the same wound, the guest host on the show, Eric Kuselias, only picked the Fins one game better at 8-8. Thaaaa-aaaaaat doesn't make the playoffs, either.

No R-E-S-P-E-C-T. No respect.

I know. I know. I shouldn't care. This means nothing.

Ken?! Can we have a sidebar label for Buzzard of the Week that we update every Monday? This week, it's Mike & Mike. Also, and totally unrelated, we might want to have a lifetime Buzzard of the Millenium -- that would be Nick Saban, the whining traitor, followed distantly by Osama bin Laden and then a bunch of politicians.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God

2009-08-23T07:55:00.006-05:00

For Christians that read this blog, I want to ask what may sound like a basic question, but I think it goes deeper than that. More than that, I wanted to ask -- if you're willing to share -- how you specifically go about it in your life.

In Matthew 6 (sermon on the mount), Jesus is talking about worry, more precisely, not worrying about your life, what you're going to eat, drink, or wear. He ends this part of the discussion by telling his audience not to worry about tomorrow; live this day. In the middle of all that, Jesus drops this famous bomb in verse 33:

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (KJV)

The question is: what does it mean to you to seek God (or the Kingdom of God) first, and how do you practically go about that in your personal life?

Here's a thing. I'd like, if we can, for our answers to be understandable to anyone reading. So let's say one hypothetical answer a person might give for seeking God first is: dependence on Him in everything (or total surrender to God's Will). That's what it says in my NIV Study Bible . Well, even as a Christian, I sometimes don't understand that terminology or how one might go about that. For example, do I depend on God in finding a job? I'm enough of a nay-sayer, I suppose, to ask, if one claims he/she is totally dependent on God, why go to an interview? Just talk to God, believe in Him, and wait for the company's phone call because He'll let that job drop in your lap. But, of course, that's not the way God or the world works. So, again, let's discuss the question in practical terms as much as we care to knock it around. I do think it's an important question, and it's likely more confusing than a Christian might think from the outside looking in.

Hope that makes sense, because I don't want to scare folks off from answering the question. Thanks, guys!

Lite Fare for Saturday Mid-Morning Brunch

2009-08-22T09:33:00.006-05:00

Excited about today. Ken, one of his friends, and I are seeing District 9 at the 4:10 matinee. Also, I'm angling for Ken to write the review here at The Realm as he told me he doesn't know much about the movie at all going into watching, so he's a blank slate. On this one, I'm more of the fan-boy.

Anyone played that game Ballies online? That's an addictive little game. I just found it last week. Right now my record's 1,372,000, which, I believe means, I'm a moron but not yet a geek. I probably shouldn't ask, but any other games I ought to know about out there?

My son's been reading some Amazing Spider-Man (ASM) comics. At what point did the heads of comic book companies everywhere decide that comics were no longer for children, and they needed to have "A" (Adult) ratings? I really think, especially with time-honored heroes like Spidey, writers could pen stories satisfying for both, without the "adult situations" that give it the label. And I'm not talking about the POW, BAM, OOOOFFF cartoon violence here. I don't mind that they do it with off-shoot Spidey comics, but the long-continuing run of ASM, that one I wish they'd have left sacred, meaning kid-friendly, at least for the most part.

Speaking of adult situations, I wrote some of my bills out this morning. Aside from getting root canals, colonoscopies, or taxes, bill-writing is probably the least fun part of "adult-life" for me.

My parents leave tomorrow to go back to Texas and close on their house. I'm not a big news watcher, but my mom is, and when she was watching last night, it seemed there were two big stories. One, some dude that had been on a reality show killed a model named Jasmine Fiore. Apparently, that was breaking news, and the guy was on the loose, maybe up near Canada somewhere. Is there a scoop on that? Then, and mom looked at me like I was crazy when I didn't know about this one, some chick had smothered her child, I guess, and was going through a trial. I may be wrong, and I don't mean to sound callous or demean the persons involved in these specific cases, but aren't there trials going on all over the country with similar sad stories? How do the ones that become sensationalized get that way? Well, mom will leave tomorrow, and I'll never find out the end of these stories unless someone on the blog or someone at work tells me. Keep me informed guys. Or, you can do what you want, is what I mean to say.

I did want to ask this, off the subject of anything. With newspapers being a dying lifeform, what's going to happen with all the funnies? Will they die a slow death as well, or can the artists that render them make a living online or with graphic books? In fact, even more specifically, I wanted to know if anyone had any favorite cartoons in the papers these days. I don't get a paper anymore, plus I live in Huntsville, so we got, if I remember correctly, re-runs of Peanuts and Hagar the Horrible, some Funky Winkerbean, For Better or For Worst, the Family Circus, a few others.

Okay, Dolphins second preseason game tonight. Usain Bolt smashed another world record - how fast is this guy? I know, very fast. Heather Locklear's re-joing Melrose Place - huh? The stock market's up to 9,500+. I'm going out to mow the grass. Also, I had sugar smacks this morning. Whew. Glad I mentioned all that. Now, I feel like a blogger! Anyone with any miscellany that you know is going on or if you have any in your life, this is the place to let us know. Have a great Saturday and weekend!

Oh the Humanities!

2009-08-21T06:37:00.001-05:00

High connoisseurs of all things artistic that we are here at The Realm of Possibility, I present the quiz you'll find below my bloviating. Prior to the couth that I now parade, back in the days of yore, I recall disputing with my 12th grade Humanities teacher, Ms. Flannagan, that people couldn't tell the difference between what passes for modern art and something a child might create. The following exam takes my assertion one step farther, and includes not only a preschool child but also an animal, that being an elephant from the Calgary zoo. Now that I've become more refined in my middle years, I have some time ago recanted my former position and stand squarely in the ranks championed by my former Humanities mentor. In an effort to prove the stance to which we hold fast, let me take no more time other than to, first, present the players - they shall be your choices for the pictures below.

Jean Miotte is a semi-famous contemporary artist who resides in New York, NY. Her work is displayed in many private galleries, and a few public galleries, including the famous Guggenheim Museum. She expresses herself with gestural brushstrokes and thick color pools, inspired by her inner conflicts.

Jackson Pollock was an influential American artist and a major force in the abstract expressionism movement. By the mid to late 1940's he developed a painting method which made him famous: dripping paint on large flat canvasses to create expressions of "unconscious imagery". Jackson Pollock died in Long Island, New York, in a car accident.

Kamala the elephant resides in the Calgary Zoo in Alberta, Canada. Kamala expresses her mood through a form of "finger (or, should we say, trunk) painting", using custom made brushes onto an easel mounted canvas. Some of her paintings have sold for over 2,000 dollars!

Ian Ford is a preschooler from the United States. He likes to eat paste (just kidding).

Please choose from the "artists" above which one you think rendered each of the seven following paintings:

Picture A:

Picture B:

Picture C:

Picture D:
Picture E:

Picture F: Picture G:

Now, I feel fully confident that our Realm denizens will each score 100% on this fine artistic examination, however, I'll just voice that we are on the honor system here, so please aim to make the choices your own and not to look at what commenters previous to you have committed themselves to so far as their decisions.

[Note: the above contest is a straight rip from the animation and web design company's site, http://www.your3dsource.com/. The answers to the quiz above are on this page here. Again, go to the site, if you wish, but please don't look at the answers until after you've posted the answers under our comments section. Thanks! Enjoy!]

Don't Forget the Fovea

2009-08-20T16:34:00.003-05:00

BEWARE.

Discussion surrounding this question became quite heated around here recently.

Q: What are the three primary colors?

a) red, green, and blue

b) red, yellow, and blue

Lost Musical Treasures in My Closet # 1: Todd Snider - Songs for the Daily Planet

2009-08-19T20:50:00.002-05:00

Every once in a while, you go digging through your old CDs and find one you've been dying to hear, but you just hadn't thought about it for awhile. Here's an oldie but a goodie. I'm pretty sure it was Todd Snider's first CD, and it's called Songs for the Daily Planet. It's a little alt-country, a little blues, a little folk, a little of a lot, and rootsy more than anything. Not everything is dynamite on any Snider CD in my opinion, but the gems are priceless. Todd's witty, intelligent, self-deprecating, wry, and sensitive, and his music is all his own. If I have to toss out some comparisons, maybe Jimmy Buffett, John Prine, Robert Earl Keen, John Hiatt... but only when these guys are at their best.

Heading down to the Destin beaches back in '95, I was listening to a modern rock radio station, and the song, Alright Guy played. It had been a long time since I had heard anything like this tune, and it was immediate, irreverent, and laugh out loud funny. Although the material in the song is dated, the music stands the test of time. Here's a link to a YouTube video of Alright Guy. That was my introduction to Todd Snider, and impulse buyer that I was in those days, I had to go get the CD. Am I glad I did. It's gotten a ton of play over the years, and it's one I force-feed upon unsuspecting friends when they least expect it!

I'll hit the highlights of the CD:

It starts out with My Generation, Part 2, a cool, little satirical number poking at today's society. Obviously, it harkens back to The Who's My Generation, but Snider's tune is totally its own. Similar to Alright Guy, the lyrical content dates it, but for this one, that's precisely the point. The song is a stellar intoduction into some of what you're going to get with Songs for the Daily Planet. Here's a lyrical sample:

We were raised up in the hallowed halls

Of half a million shopping malls

And there ain't any price that we're too proud to pay

We'll buy anything from Diet Sprite

To one thousand points of light

Hey, I admit we're not that bright

But I'm proud anyway

Here's to hair gel

Hanging out at the health spa

Using condom sense

Watching Arsenio Hall

Here's to drum machines

Stone-washed jeans

Credit cards, fax machines

Big bow-headed chicks and frat guys

Wearing forty dollar tie-dyed t-shirts

And big, bold paisley ties

Here's to living off dad as long as we can

And blending into the crowd

Oh, my generation

My generation

God, I hope I die before I get old

The fourth, fifth, and sixth songs are an incredible trio. This Land Is Our Land leads off the trifecta, and here's a live rendition of the tune on YouTube. The end of it breaks into CCR's It Ain't Me. It's pretty good, but because I'm touting the CD itself, you should also hear the studio versions of all these ditties. Here's one more live version and it's more straightforward. This Land Is Our Land rails against the extravagances and wastes of America and Americans today, reminding the listener that Native Americans were here before Western Europeans and were the better stewards of the land. The aforementioned Alright Guy follows. This tongue-in-cheek crack at the point of view character in the song is so perfect, you sing or hum along with a smile on your face the whole way. The last song of the three, I Spoke as a Child, is absolutely wonderful. The lyrics speak with a wisdom that comes only after the the tempests of life wring out the soul. Here's what I mean:

I'd like to find that old time feelin',

Somewhere in between what I've become,

Somewhere down the line it must have seemed appealing,

So I suppose that it must work for some,

But I wanna go back to going crazy,

Believing every word that I was told,

You know sometimes growing up I think I'm getting wiser

And then other times I think I'm getting old.

When I was a child I spoke as a child,

But all I heard was how I should get ahead.

Now growing up it ain't anything but all this indecision

With these debts and doubts and worries hangin' over my head.

When I was a child I spoke as a child,

I wish I could remember what I said.

When I was a child I spoke as a child,

God I wish I could remember what I said.

For me, the high point of the CD is the song, A Lot More. It won't be everybody's, but that's okay. It's mine. Although probably not written to be so, it's anthemic to me and a song I can plant my heart's flag in and want to claim for my own. Sorry to do this to you, but it's worth it on this one to lay down all the words to the song:

Some guys are looking for diamonds,

some guys just wanna pay their bills,

some guys are climbing up mountains,

while others are digging for thrills.

Some guys just wanna win trophies,

some guys just wanna get girls,

and some guys swear they won't stop working

till they own everything in the world.

Well, good luck at the end of that rainbow

if you think thats what your here for,

but make no mistake about it, baby,

I want a whole lot more.

A whole lot more.

Sometimes I see people out here,

playing every single one of their cards

for bigger this or better that,

or greener grass 'round the pools in their yard.

They work and they slave

just so they can save up a whole lot to leave behind.

Yeah, some guys are just so certain success

is the key to their piece of mind.

Well, good luck at the end of that rainbow
if you think thats what you're here for,
but make no mistake about it, baby,
I want a whole lot more.
I want a whole lot more.

I want a whole lot more than treasures

that I can store down here on earth.

Price 'em any way that you want to,

hey buddy, I know what they're worth.

Yeah, some guys want attention,

some guys want girls,

and some dig kickin' down doors.

Some guys will want everything in this whole wide world;

I want a whole lot more.

There's a whole lot more.

Subsequent to A Lot More is the tragic You Think You Know Somebody about two friends, one of who is abused by his father unbeknownst to the other until they grow up and the cycle repeats itself, but in a sorrowful ending. Really, really good song. I really like Suzanne Vega's Luka and how it illustrated child abuse, but this one is just as good at the very least.

Somebody's Coming is a rocker that heartens the downtrodden that Somebody is coming back for His children. While it might bother a few folks that in one song, Snider is singing about smoking dope, quitting school, or getting drunk off his arse, then in another, he's proclaiming Christ's return, well, let me just say, that's what you're going to get with Todd Snider. And I love it.

The final song, Joe's Blues, transitions into the ghost track, Talkin' Seattle Grunge Blues. Hilarious and sardonically cutting at the music scene in the 90s, here's a YouTube video of the song. When the CD first came out, this track was the one about which I heard the most buzz. Over time, as the grunge wave went its course, the song may not have the impact it once did. However, I dare you to listen to it without cracking a grin. Can't be done.

Songs for the Daily Planet is laced throughout with fantastic songwriting and is part of what's best in the Alt-Country music genre. If you've never heard it, I'm heartily recommending it. Take a listen! On every Snider CD, there're always jewels to be found. Songs for the Daily Planet is a crown full of them.

Undone

2009-08-19T06:01:00.004-05:00

Just wanted to know if anyone had anything to say about this fella?

You know, things like:

What a team player
The future Hall of Famer should go out on his terms
The Vikings are getting a gem
"I'd love to hear John Madden's (man-love) comments about him"
Minnesota's the Super Bowl favorite because of him
Bret Farve is selfless

Things like that.

[Ed. Note: A nice little FoxSports link here from Mark Kriegel. Alex Marvez piles on here. More Vikes trashing from Peter King at CNNSI here. At ESPN, Jeffri Chadiha with more of the same here. Even the legendary Fran Tarkenton spews a little venom in this report here.]

Favorite Spots #1 - Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California

2009-08-18T06:41:00.000-05:00

We know that the Realm of Possibility is one of your favorite spots in the Cyberworld (thank goodness), but what about the sometimes interesting geographical world. What are your favorite spots there?

The denizens of the Realm are a widely-dispersed, well-traveled bunch. And we'd like to know about the places that hold a special place in your hearts and memories.

And that's where this post series comes in. As we move around the U.S. and beyond, clue us in to your favorite spots. It could be an attraction, a restaurant, a small town, or a certain rock where you can watch a sunset.

Give us the names of your spots, tell us why they're a favorite, and be as specific as you can about where they are. That way if one of us is planning a vacation, a day trip, or just happen to be in the area, we can check them out, too.

Feel free to have as many favorites as you want!!

Today we go to Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, and California. With these widely varied locales, there are bound to be some fascinating spots.

Today Is the Greatest...

2009-08-18T00:45:00.000-05:00

...Day I've Ever Known.

Because today, I'm not going to have a single thought. Last night, after analyzing all the hows and whys and whichevers of what makes a good blog post, I've decided that today I'm not going to think at all... instead, I'm going to write to the lowest common denominator. I'm writing a post about Dancing With the Network Stars.

(KNOCK. KNOCK.)

("what's that Mom?" "just Dancing with the Stars?" "no, I'm sure I have it right." "mom, please, can I have some peace here in your basement?")

Sorry, er, that was the plumb... er, repair man. Leaky drain pipe. Now, what was I saying. Oh, yeah, the Dancing Stars.

The show that forced my Miami Dolphins to trade Jason Taylor (pictured above to the right), a certain Dolphin Ring-of-Famer and borderline guy for the NFL Hall of Fame. Jason Taylor came in second, or so I hear, on the show, which, as is well-chronicled here in The Realm, is the first place loser! Notwithstanding the 1-15 season we endured two years ago, we Miami Dolphin fans don't accept losing. So, yes, we shipped him off to the Washington Redskins. At least we received a pair of draft choices for him from the 'Skins. And with those draft choices, I think we got Tom Delay and a bag of nickels. I don't have high hopes for DeLay, here. But if he doesn't pull out a first, we'll be trading him this year... probably for a couple of old-time James Bonds if we can manage, Roger Moore or Tim Dalton. If we can't get that, maybe an old Jacques Cousteau? Peter Sellers or David Niven...

(KNOCK. KNOCK.)

("what's is it now, Mother?" "what? Niven and Sellers passed away some time ago?" "no, I'm sure that's not right." "seriously, Mom, I'm in the middle of something crucial here, and plus, I don't want people knowing that I'm, you know, here... thank you")

Okay, maybe we'll just get some actor who played in the movie, Murder by Death.

Anyway, getting back on track, Dances with Stars -- let's take a look at the players, dancers, I mean, and I think it's pretty evident that we can go ahead and say who's going to win the whole kit-and-kaboodle, shindiggin' jamboree.

Let's start with the aforementioned Tom DeLay. I think we all know by now that Democrats are just cooler than Republicans. The secret is, for the men, they wear boxers, not briefs. Far more comfortable for dancing. Not that I know, but I just think it's self-evident. As for the Republicans, who is the last Republican that could dance? Orrin Hatch? I don't think so. DeLay is out.

Kelly Osbourne. I just don't see it in the cards. It's genetics. Now, if we were having a Bite the Head Off a Bat with the Stars, I'm thinking she'd have a leg up. Dancing? Not so much.

Who in the name of all that is Hollywood is Mark Dacascos? Can the network afford for the Chairman of the Iron Chef to win? In other words, are you watching the show all the way through if Mark Dacascos is the favorite?

(KNOCK. KNOCK.)

("Mom, please." "Mark Dacascos is a good-looking hunk? does anyone in the 21st century use the word hunk, ma?" "no, I'm sure they don't" "okay, okay, I'll say it if you leave me alone.")

Um, this guy Dacascos, I think he's got a shot.

I saw Macy Gray dance when she was singing in Spider-Man, right before the Green Goblin flew in stealing her limelight. The look she had on her face at that point tells me all I need to know. She'll be okay, but she certainly won't have enough.

Chuck Liddell. Wimp.

Isn't Melissa Joan Hart the chick that does the interviews with Joan Rivers on the red carpet? I might have that mixed up. However, if those two are friends, I'm thinking a lot of plastic surgery. And I just can't help but think that doesn't translate into good dancing. Think about Stiffler's mother in The Cinderella Story movie, where she was always getting botox. You think she could dance? Well, then, how could Melissa Joan?

And then there's Louie Vito, the snowboarder. You know what? I think he can probably dance. But the guy's 5'5" - at least I saw that somewhere, probably wikipedia, so I've got it backed up. Is America, a land rife with heightism, ready for a guy that short to win it's premiere dancing competition? Would Herve Villech... um, Tattoo from Fantasy Island have won a subjective dancing contest? Methinks not.

How about Natalie Coughlin? She's cute, a swimmer, so you know she's down for the training involved for all the dance routines. She reminds me of Kathy Ireland, who would certainly be someone people would want to see in a contest like this.

(KNOCK. KNOCK.)
("sigh. Mom, what?" "Kathy Ireland's in Dancing with Stars this year?" "no, they wouldn't. are you sure?" "thanks for letting me know, mommie")

Natalie's out.

Back in the '70s, when the Jackson 5 and The Osmonds were competing like they were on a dance contest show, Donnie Osmond could dance. Let's face it, he's a little bit rock 'n roll. Sitting around the $25,000 Pyramid, however, is no way to keep in dance shape. Twenty years later, could he possibly be better? No.

Speaking of let's face it. Joanna Kruppa is in the final three right now. For any guy that's watching the show -- I hate to say we're that shallow, but, and I can't emphasize this enough, we are -- she's a draw. Like they say in the NCAAs, the real BIG DANCE, she'll be a tough out.

On one of my birthdays years ago at my office, all the girls at work put up pictures of all the NSYNC, Brittany Spears, Backstreet Boys, 99 Degrees, all those acts all around my office with a boom box pounding out some manufactured manure from one of those acts, because they knew how much I hated them. I remember there was a picture of Aaron Carter. He must have been in the embryonic stage then. But there he was on my wall. On general principle, he's a goner.

Entourage is all the rage. And I've never seen a show. I really wouldn't know Debi Mazar from Little Debbie. And I'm sure I like Little Debbie's food better. While I shouldn't count out a person just because I don't know who they are, in this case, I don't know what else to do. Sorry, Debi. Good luck with Entourage.

(KNOCK. KNOCK.)
("I'm almost out, Mom, can it wait?" "no, Mom, Entourage is not one of those filthy shows on Cinemax. It's on HBO." "no, I'm sure it's fine for kids. Kevin Dillon is in it. Remember him from that movie Heaven Help Us. He was hilarious as Rooney. Yeah, Andrew McCarthy was in it, too. That was a great movie for kids, right?" "ouch! ouch! Mom get outta here.")

The token NFL castoff for the show this year is Michael Irvin. Haven't we been here before with Emmitt Smith? Now, I'm not saying Michael can't dance. He was in South Florida, for crying out loud, and they dance there in Coconut Grove and South Beach. And I'm sure in some of the Dallas clubs, Michael was shakin' it. But I can't get past this one thing. Unless Michael Irvin shaves off that cheesy mustache, he has no hope. Image is everything in this one. Michael is a no-go.

Ashley Hamilton is the son George Hamilton, who as we know was Zorro the Gay Blade as well as Count Vladimir Dracula in Love at First Bite, where, he liked the night life, he liked to boogie, on the disco heiiiii-iiiiiiiights, oh yeah. Also, he was Evel Knievel in Evel Knievel back in '71. Using the same logic as we did with Kelly Osbourne, Ashley's got a chance.

Also with a good chance is Mya, since Mya is a dancer and R&B Singer. If life were fair, she should and would win. Life's not fair. She won't. It'll be an upset, but she won't.

Kathy Ireland. Supermodel. Supermother. Model-turned-mogul: furniture queen and clothing empress. Superactre... uh, just actress. Author. And World Champion of Battle of the Network Stars. I mean, Dancing with the Stars. She's your winner. Write it down.

(KNOCK. KNOCK.)

("Mom, I've told you for the last time?" "what? no, I don't know any Chuck Lidde... Chuck! oh hey, Chuck! love your work..." "no, no way. I would never. Never call you a wimp. Ever." "no! Mom! I didn't say that." "no, Chuck, I'm begging. Please! Ooowwww! Aiiieeee! Arrrrrrrgggggggh!" CRAAAAASSSSH!!!)

[Service announcement from blogger: We apologize for technical difficulties here at this blog site, but The Realm of Possibility has been closed until further notice until Rich comes out of his coma.]

DWTS !!

2009-08-17T14:23:00.001-05:00

The blockbuster cast for the upcoming season of Dancing with the Stars has been announced.

Line-up with pictures included.

That is all.