a few pics from my journey

i've been in chicago since last saturday. a little of what i've seen so far.


My dinner in Evanston at Noodles & Co (oh yes. that's a cold IBC rootbeer next to it.)
















A picture of the river, in the arts district. The river is awesome. The water is kinda green, though.
















That's right. That bumper sticker says Patrick.

















My niece, Meredith. Robert and I believe she should be in advertising.

despite trent reznor's best effort...

every day is NOT exactly the same.

actually it's more like a roller coaster. one day you're up, the next day you're down. i was telling both kristen and angela yesterday that i'm just questioning everything i'm doing. can't see the point, making a huge mistake, yadda yadda yadda.

it's actually a very daunting thing, moving to chicago. it's not far away now, and it is an ever-present butterfly, flapping its wings somewhere around my pyloric antrum. next thursday is the last day of my job. and then i fly to chicago for a week to look for a NEW job (but not before i have to get three crowns in my mouth. sigh.) there are a lot of things that frighten me, but there are just as many that excite me. i've been tossing around the idea of going by a different name there, even. the chance to redefine yourself is the ultimate feng shui, i think.

i got so overwhelmed yesterday, looking for a job, that i almost called it off. and a funny thing happened. see, my biggest fear is that i'm making a huge mistake. time will tell. but in the meantime, i'm trying to trust God. see i know that no matter what i do, God will love me. and He'll take care of me. the rest is just details. but i lose sight of that (quite a bit acutally). so yesterday i get a random email from a dude, which he really didn't need to send, and there in the "signature" of his email was this:

The mind of the man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. - Prov 16:9

it's just the little things that can make a difference. i've probably read that verse before, probably multiple times. but at the right time, a simple thing can become extraordinary. a little nugget at the right time, a nice "hey I've got your back" from God, makes the difference.

more later on studying "trust" and how i can't understand God as a Father.
----------------------------------------------------
You step through me
And the screen door hits the wood
And you're packing all your things
You say you're moving out to there to Hollywood
And I can't do a thing
You say there's nothing for you
In this cardboard town
And every bridge you cross
You're gonna burn it to the ground
You wont listen to a word that I'm telling ya

So who's running through the halls
In the houses of pain
That are staring back at me
Like the ocean from a plane
I swear I've seen your eyes
in the ghost of Philadelphia

I think about you late at night sometimes
When I can't sleep
Cause I can hear the train
It's always there
You just don't know it
Till a quarter to three
You just can't hear it in the day
When everybody's got your number
In a plexiglass town
Where the birds ain't got wings
But no one makes a sound
Cause they all know how to fly
Just I wouldn't buy what they're selling ya

So who's running through the halls
In the houses of pain
That are staring back at me
Like the ocean from a plane
I swear I've seen your eyes
in the ghost of Philadelphia

I run into your old man every once and again
Mostly in the spring
Reminds me of our younger and more genuine days when
You weren't so out of reach
Still for all your running
You just can't change a mile
Of the things you carry around
In the closet of your mind
And the days keep coming man
They never fail ya

You're never gonna run away
From what you're hanging round your head

"Philadelphia" by John Mark McMillan

that guy is hilarious. and a little talented.

you knew i couldn't resist

okay one more.

i have take heat from people for not believing in global warming, but since its champion is a maligned politician, can you blame me?

here's a pretty solid article from across the pond by james delingpole of the telegraph. he's kinda snarky, which makes it a good read.

(editor's note: i am a firm believer in protecting and preserving this planet that God gave us. i just think that global warming is a crock. that is all. yay recycling!)

I should have paid more attention to him last year

one more political thing. and then i'm done. for this week.

worth the time to read

i've taken a pretty middle-of-the-road stance in politics in the last few years. i honestly don't trust either side of the aisle, and i believe that very few in washington have the best interests of the people entirely at heart. i didn't vote for obama, but when he won, as citizens should, i supported him and prayed for his ability to lead this country. i have tried as best as i could to try to see both sides of every argument, be it the financial crisis and bailouts, the war, and now healthcare. the healthcare debate has take so many ugly turns and has had so much wildly inaccurate information passed about it, it's been hard to see through the fog. i understand the need for reform, and i of course understand that there are those who need assistance. but in trying to be realistic about this task, there is very little i see in the democrats plan that seems to be very good.

this is an article by John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods. in it he details his ideas on reform and what he's done with his employees (with great success). he has been lambasted by the democrats for this article, and there have been repeated attempts to boycott Whole Foods (which were unsuccessful). i've also read other articles which detail plans that seem better. the ideas were simple and direct, but no one seems to want to entertain any other ideas except what is being given us by our current government.

i ran across this article this morning, and i cannot ignore it. i would hate to think that this is being done on purpose, but i also cannot believe that our president would be this misinformed about his own healthcare plan.

my true hope is, in short, that the republican side would calm the hell down and make some rational arguments (if the truth is really on your side, there's no need to shout), and that the democrat side would realize that 'the right' is not dumb or ignorant (or racist), just passionate. and a little scared.

while i'm on my soap box, i will say one other thing. capitalism, in and of itself, is not evil. the greed behind it is. many people falsely claim that "money is the root of all evil," which is not right. in actuality, the truth is that the LOVE of money is the root of all evil, which is a different sentiment entirely. this is why Jesus said that "...it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." this country became great and prosperous because of the very system that is now being villified by many, including michael moore. and while i agree there are many greedy people in powerful positions hurting people, the system is not to blame. and if that system is torn down, it will bring this country to a grinding halt.

also, i'm a big proponent of the fair tax, and if you aren't, you should consider it.

/rant

watch this show, everybody

this is my new favorite show. it joins, after only two episodes, the ranks of How I Met Your Mother, the Office, Big Bang Theory, Arrested Development (same producers), Scrubs, and 30Rock. it could get worse, but with joel mchale leading the cast, i don't see how. plus it has chevy chase. he can't afford not to be funny.

mira.

i honestly don't think i can help it

this is b-wack. he's the drummer for dc*b. he's hilarious. and an evil genius.

so maybe i caved.

maybe i decided to listen to david crowder band.

maybe i like them.

maybe i've been reading dave's blog.

maybe i'm hooked.

maybe this video is hilarious.



the end is a mockup of that video of that kid after the dentist from a while back. click here to see it! (ps - that video has over 30 million hits. unreal.)

What happens in Vegas

is pretty boring if you're not a heavy drinker and don't like porn and stuff.

You may remember me talking about the brothers that I reconnected with when my dad passed. Well, my brothers Robert and Jeff (42 and 44, respectively) both graduated from Oregon State, and therefore invited me to come with them to Vegas with them and my nephew Mitch to go to the Oregon State/UNLV game. I flew out there on Wednesday night (I watched I Love You Man on the flight out there. HILARIOUS.) We walked ALL over the strip on Thursday and Friday (I took a BUNCH of pictures.) We met up with a few of Robert's friends, ate a bunch of expensive food, and I spent a little bit of money at the Blackjack table. That game doesn't seem to be the same as when I was 10.

All in all, the city was really cool, but mostly really sad. There was porn everywhere, which bothered me more than a little bit. Not just for the obvious, but just because the people seemed so sad and hopeless. People LINED the streets handing out these pamphlets for hookers, and they literally littered the streets. The buildings were so big and beautiful, but they made me think of the white-washed tombs.

But, I still had a lot of fun, I didn't really drink that much, and I stayed at the Hilton for free. The only downside to the Hilton was that there was a 15-story picture of Barry Manilow on the outside of it. Don't believe me?


A grand time to be sure. Oh, and and I watched Star Trek on the flight home. That's five. Awesome