should you or should you not buy a chinese baby*

so, today at lunch, me and about eight other guys went to eat at mot's barbeque. a fine dining establishment. anyway, the tv in the corner was on, and i just so happened to look up and there was a commercial for a 4-disc praise and worship collection.

flashback: two years ago, my buddy eric comes up to me and says, "PETE! what the hell is up with christian music?" and i'm like, "yeahbuhwha?" come to find out he had been channel surfing that morning on the way to work, and went by WAFJ 88.3, the local christian station. "why do they repeat the chorus to the song 8000 times?" after i laughed for about five minutes, i explained to him that praise music is an expression, and you repeat it a bunch because you feel strongly about it, and you get in to it. and he says, "i see."

flash forward: i point the commercial out to eric at lunch, and we have a chuckle, and then he says, "i've been to one of those." upon my curious look, he lifts two hands up in the air and starts swaying back and forth. after that, the following conversation takes place.

me: you? when?
big e: about six months ago.
me: six flags?
big e: no, dumbass. here. in augusta. something called Winterjam.
me: ah.
big e: yeah. nikki (his fiance) wanted to go. she said she had been wanting to get into some christian music, so she got tickets and we went. she wants to go again next year. i'm on the fence.
me: did you like it?
big e: it was wierd. they would have some hard core rock band, like Skillet. and that was pretty rocking. way heavier than i imagined christian music. but then the next band would be a praise band. and they would go back and forth. it didn't make sense.
me: they were probably trying to get something for everybody.
big e: well, i found out why we were there. i thought it was just because they wanted to have a music festival. but it wasn't.
me: what was it?
big e: they wanted us to buy a chinese baby.

at this point, i spewed a mixture of barbecue pork and mac & cheese out and started laughing. "they wanted us to buy a chinese baby" was eric's description of the festival's pitch for compassion international. after that, we had a hilarious discussion about leasing babies, renting to own, paying alimony for a baby you never met, and going straight to hell for skipping out on payments for a chinese baby. all very tongue-in-cheek, but i haven't laughed that hard in a while.

and now it's after lunch, i'm full, i got four hours of sleep last night, and it feels like i may have to take a nap on my desk.

cheers.




*disclaimer: i love compassion international.
also, "pete" is my nickname at work. long story.