Sunday

This Sunday I spoke at Quest church, the junior high ministry at my church. I must admit, I absolutely loved it. It was fun to be able to be goofy, use silly illustrations, etc... again. I really enjoyed being around those guys, although they weren't as studious as the people I usually get to minister with...

And then came Sunday night...it seems like it has been a while since Bethany and I have gotten a chance to get alone, without anyone around us at all...so we had a picnic at Grandview Drive. It was nice for us to be just us for a couple of hours, we don't usually get to do that. It was a great meal comprised of turkey sandwiches, cottage cheese, salad, and peaches. Quite the delicious meal!

More than than, we then went back to her apartment and watched Hitch, one of our favorite comedies of recent history.

I have found that I can just sit with Bethany and eat a meal, or watch a movie, and it is the most relaxing time I sometimes get in a week. So thanks Bethany, for being such an incredible encouragement to me! I could not ask for more!

Ugghhhhhhh!!!!!!

This Wednesday I have an appointment to get my teeth cleaned. I hate going to the dentist. I absolutely hate it. I really am not looking forward to this time because I KNOW I have at least one cavity. And it seems like for me every time I go, they have to poke right into the cavity just to be sure that it hurts. Those dentists have it out for me, I know it!

I'm thinking about becoming an anti-dentite.

Please pray for me...I hate getting my cavities poked!

Day of Men

I just got home from a "day of men". Let me explain..and take you on my journey...

• At 8am, me, Charlie, Ryan Hite, and Kevin Sletten headed off towards Chicago to catch a Cubs game, that is, minor league baseball game. At which the Cubs lost (shocker!!!) but we did get to listen to the worst heckler in sports history..."Hey Dunn, who tied your shoes?" (referring to Adam Dunn, the Reds' left fielder)
• Upon completion of the game, we headed back south towards Tinley Park to see The Dave Matthews Band @ the Tweeter Center. Wow, what a show. They are still my favorite band...and with good reason...

At the concert, sitting directly in front of us were 4 mid-40 year olds. Now, one of these guys began dancing just before we got there (thats what the people behind us told us). He was probably the worst dancer I have ever seen in my life. It provided many minutes of humor, several of which Kevin got on film...(later viewing for your pleasure)

But once DMB got going, we managed to block out this guy and turn our attention. It was an awesome show.

All in all it was a good day to get away...but glad to be home and I missed my girl!

Tagged, who's it?

I got tagged by Charles Dean II, so here goes....


Three things that scare me:
knowing that I eat at least 3 spiders a year, my dad in the kitchen, and women named Tom.

Three people who make me laugh:
Bethany, Steve Carrell, The Cubs organization.

Three things I hate:
spiders, when people think they are always right, when people say the Bush administration is terrible, but don't have any reasons why they think that.

Three things I am doing right now:
Listening to the end of the Cubs game, revising a message evaluation for one of my classes, wishing I could watch the season premier of Survivor tonight.

Three things I can do:
tie my shoes, read, write

Three ways to describe my personality:
Fun, serious, optimistic

Three things I can't do:
pulvarize my own kidney stones, dance, throw a football 8000 yards

Three things I think you should listen to:
your mother, God, Edwin McCain

Three favorite foods:
mom's sloppy joes, mom's tuna-and-noodle casserole, Bethany's Lorna Dune dessert

Three shows I watched as a kid:
Saved by the Bell, Salute your Shorts, Double Dare

Three people I tag:
Bethany, Jake, Leslie

Why don't I care?

Today, I was struck by how little I truly care about that there are starving people all over the world, all over America, all over the Peoria area. I was watching an interview with Bono, lead singer of U2, from the Leadership Summit, and several thins hit me...

• I realized that I, and most of America, don't really care about the people who are starving. We say we do, but when push comes to shove, we don't really do much about it.
• We can worship God with music even when we're not singing about God. He loves to watch us doing what He made us to do.

That's all I'm going to reveal about what I learned today because this Saturday night @ nexus we are going to watchi this interview and then have a little time to reflect on it all....pretty powerful stuff...

You don't want to miss this weekend @ Nexus...

Matthew 25:40

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"

Long-Awaited "Swish-Izms"

So for some time I have noticed myself and some of my mannerisms changing. I have noticed my verbal tone changing at times of sarcasm, and my hand and body gestures become much more sharp. And a few weeks ago I realized, I have "BEN (been) SWISHED" I often times act rigidly when I am trying to be humorous with my bodily actions. A subtle jerk here with my arm, and twinge of my eyes, or a quick flash with my arms and hands and whip of the head all offer proof that Benjamin Swisher has gotten inside my head.

I write this post not to make fun of Ben, but thank him. He has provided me with a new set of mannerisms that are displayed along with my own originals. I think between the two of us we make a good mannerisms couple. Maybe we should co-author a book about bodily mannerisms....just a thought

Alcohol=Brainiacs?

I stumbled upon this old article today and thought it was interesting...

Official: drinking improves thinking
Bernard O'Riordan in SydneyThursday August 4, 2005
Guardian

It is guaranteed to raise a cheer among those who enjoy a tipple: moderate drinkers are better thinkers than teetotallers or those who overindulge. Research by the Australian National University in Canberra suggests drinking in moderation boost your brainpower. But none at all, or too much, can make you a dullard.

A study of 7,000 people in their early 20s, 40s and 60s found that those who drank within safe limits had better verbal skills, memory and speed of thinking than those at the extremes of the drinking spectrum. The safe consumption level was considered to be 14 to 28 standard drinks a week for a man and seven to 14 for a woman.

Questions ranged from verbal reasoning problems to tests of short-term memory. Surprisingly, perhaps, teetotallers were twice as likely as occasional drinkers to achieve the lowest scores.
Bryan Rodgers, from ANU's Centre for Mental Health Research, said moderate drinkers not only performed the best, but also seemed to be the healthiest. "This does not necessarily show moderate alcohol use is good for our brains - there may be other reasons we haven't measured to explain the poor performance of non-drinkers," Dr Rodgers said.

The results may reflect the fact that alcohol can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and increase blood flow to the brain - factors linked to improved mental function. They also support research that suggests moderate alcohol intake can reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes by improving circulation.

The Australian study is part of a 20-year project started in 1999 to examine the changes in thinking and mood as people age.

What are your thoughts on the subject??

Movie Review, and Fantasy Football

Last night I say Little Miss Sunshine with Bethany and a couple of friends. I must say that I was apprehensive (to say the least) to the idea of seeing this movie, but I obliged. I recommend that everyone see this movie at some point. It has some vulgarity in it, but if you can get past the directors cheap aim at humor, you will see a deeper meaning to the movie. I thought it was fantastic!

And fantasy football. This week I was up against Charlie. And boy did I get cheated. I have a team full of "pro-bowlers" and I these guys only created two offensive touchdowns. I am losing by 1 point going into tonight's games, but I don't have any remaining players to go. So, my guys better perform next week, or they are on thin ice...

Medallion Hunt

Today was the ninth clue for the Medallion Hunt. Those of you who know me know that I yearly hunt for this thing. Today, just like last year, the medallion was found on the Thursday before the Marigold Festival, and just like last year, Gary freaking Gillis walks you to where the medallion is at.

For the second straight year I was at the scene where the medallion was found, as were 30 other people. And for the second straight year I wanted to jump in front of a racing car. I need to move out of Pekin. I need to move out of this area, this hunt makes me so sick...

There were eight other clues that basically tell you nothing, maybe a small hint or two, but otherwise completely worthless.

This dumb hunt is one of those things that I'm addicted to, but hate. This addiction is killing me slowly...

I will get you someday Gillis, someday...

Busy Semester

I need to apologize for my lack of posts, and really, communication with all my friends. This semester has taken off, and I am in my third week of school. This semester I am taking my last 4 classes and they are taking a toll on me. (This makes me really glad I took 9 hours this past summer so my final semester would be relatively light) But it isn't light. It is rough so far. Lots and lots of writing...

But, I hope to able to be more efficient with my school work so that I can spend more time reading, writing on here, hanging out, etc...

I hope you can accept my apologies!!