nothing to say

i always have these great things to blog but then i put it off and too much time goes by and then it's like, what the heck - why don't you not blog then so i go and watch some tv or eat a snack unless i am doing something else like not going on the computer at home because my son thinks it's his (he's only 2 1/2) and he knows how to use it better than i do, although he has some crazy icons on his desktop - like shortcuts to things i didn't know existed, but that's neither here nor there because the real point to this blog entry was the fact that i have a bad case of no timing when it comes to blogging, realizing that as I type this my fingers are in the wrong positions that Mrs. Rodgers taught me in typewriting 101 back in 11th grade (later changed to Keyboarding once our school got computers Senior year) but i never learned anything from her except how to pretend to be typing but in reality I was playing Where in the USA is Carmen Sandiago (code name AGENT 99 for all you Carmen Sandiago fans) instead of listening which some say is a problem with me, but really i do listen, only to selective things of importance which should be everything but it isn't so I guess i need some therapy or a nap or some mountain dew but i shouldn't because my left bottom row wisdom tooth is bothering me and i am fearing going to the dentist but it is inevitable (see previous blog post from FEB and you'll see that said tooth has been a pain in my mouth for quite some time - making me a moron for not going to the dentist sooner) so i guess i will suck it up and go and hope that our insurance pays for it and then, maybe then i will have something to blog about... let's just hope i blog it in a timely manner.

sequals

why does hollywood make so many sequals?

Sylvester Stallone has announced that Rocky VI is in production... how old is this guy? 60? oh, my bad, he's only 59.

dishwasher installation

so we got a new dishwasher and yesturday the guys came to install it. have you ever had a repair man in your home? you don't want to stand over him and crowd his space, but you want to know what's going on.

so there we were, my wife and i, sitting in the other room, with the TV on mute so we can attempt to hear the progress of the installation.

here are the sounds that we heard coming from the mouth of the bearded repair man:

"aww, you gotta be kidding me!"

"ohhhhhhhhhh"

"no wayyy"


"dang it!"

"ahhggh"

"i can't believe this!"

the other guy, who had a mullet, just stood there and said things like "whadayamean?"

It turns out that the previous dishwasher was installed in such a way that made the new dishwasher instal very difficult... but after a couple of hours the job was done. We can now wash dishes without fear of our kitchen flooding.

last week in Pittsburgh

last week my wife & i went to Pittsburgh for the National Youth Workers Convention sponsored by Youth Specialties. It was a wonderfully refreshing time for us. Pittsburgh is a very unique city!

We heard some great messages and had some crazy times with friends. I met Chris Graebe from MTV's Road Rules: South Pacific & The Battle of the Sexes II. Chris is a born again Christian who was there speaking and promoting a new show called Reality Trip.

During the 5 days we were there, Jen and I picked up 42 free t-shirts, well over 100 free books and an asortment of other free stuff. Unfortunately, we did not walk away with a free iPod or PSP.

I will post more pics & info from Pittsburgh later.

sweepers, apples & 18 inning baseball (and paint fumes) plus other fine information that makes for good read

last week we were at Target and we walked past the sweeper ailse and low and behold, we bought a new sweeper. this one actually picks up dirt, which is good. it's a Shark sweeper and it came with a cordless mini sweeper. it broke after only a few hours. i took it back the next day and they gave me a new one. neat, huh.

on friday, jen made an apple pie. it was very tasty. we have a ton of apples 'cuz we went to an orchard. micah likes eating apples dipped in peanut butter.

on sunday the Aatros beat the Braves in 18 innings. all 18 innings were enjoyable... althogh i didn't watch all 18 innings.

jen is painting primer in our kitchen we are going to then paint it some orange or yellowish or gold color or something like that. actually, she will probably do most of the painting. we don't have any turpintine, so right now she has paint on her arms. neat, huh.

these paint fumes are making me feel like i've dipped my head into a vat of vicks vapor-rub.

once, on Seinfeld, Kramer got a speaking role in a Woody Allen movie that was filming down the street. his line: "these pretzels are making me thirsty."

in a day and a half, we will be in Pittsburgh.

i am tired.

we had pizza for supper from Ermano's.

i folded laundry today.

ok, i gotta go 'cuz these paint fumes are making me thirsty.

{end waste of time}

this post is not about LOST

just to prove that i have a life outside of the television show LOST, this post will not have anything to do with LOST.


mike tyson used to play baseball... didn't you know that?

Doug Frobel was a baseball player in the mid 80's. my friend Jamie and I used to collect his cards because we thought his name was funny. He was nothing short of a scrub.


{don't forget to watch LOST on wednesday @ 9pm}

Lost - Dharma Industries / Message Board

Dharma Industries

Lost Message Board

Lost: the logo?

mysterious logo... LOCKE see's it in the Hatch... it was also on the shark.

Lost Theories (yes i am obsessed with this show)

before i get to the some of the various theories... here are some links to LOST related sites/articles:

ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE ATICLE ABOUT EVY LILLY (Kate)

DRIVESHAFT (Charlie's old band with his brother Liam)

LOST (ABC website)

FLIGHT 815 (cool site)

below are some theories i've found on the web...

from HYNES
I had read a theory this past week about the show that at first I thought was interesting, but sounded too simple for the show; though after watching the show I'm beginning to wonder if the theory isn't pretty much on the money.

Basically there's this theory that during the Cold War it's been documented that the United States run multiple secret projects through various branches of government. You notice all the logos on the items within the bunker state DARPA or something like that (I think the show changed the letters to slightly). Nevertheless there is a program called DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). I guess rumors are that during the Cold War some of the experiments that DARPA ran were to locate isolated, uncharted islands in the South Pacific and use them as sort of testing zones on reactions people, animal, and plant life have within a controlled environment. Meanwhile the scientific crew was below within a quaratined bunker observing results.

So the theory is that the island is one of these abandoned islands. It doesn't completely work because if the United States were to can something as Top Secret as this, they wouldn't just cut off its funding. They'd completely destroy any remant of its existence - so the timer that counts down (to what?) would have been removed.

Also how is it Desmond is getting fresh foods still? Is he restocked every several months? How and by whom?

This also doesn't explain why the plane crashed where it did and how it did. Some theorize that Desmond took down the plane to further the research at the island. I find that laughable, and you can see that by the almost fantastical way he acts toward the group. If he truly did know or try to down the plane, then why would he have acted so paranoid? So I think thats a big hole. Supposedly by the season's end, the director said we will know at least why the plane came down - which leads me to believe that there was a reason the plane crashed where it did. But how or who is another set of questions altogether.

I've also read many people say that it will take many theories to solve the Lost riddle, which I think is a completely double-speak statement. How can multiple theories explain anything? There might be multiple facets to a theory, yes, but you cannot multiple varying theories explaining the whole for a couple of reasons: 1) it just doesn't work like that in real life. You don't have multiple competing theories coming together to provide a harmonious look at the overall picture. By their very nature, competing theories rule out the other as a way in which circumstances we find ourselves within or around to be explained. Also 2) that just makes for distracting and shitty writing by having multiple theories that compete against each other. You don't have flow and ebb between episodes - and we all well know that this show does have that.

----------------

from MARK STEELE
THEORY #1: The island is not an island. (Brooke's note: JJ alludes to this in the DVD bonus - he says they made the island a character unto itself.)

There has been a long-standing conspiracy theory (in the real world) since World War II that the U. S. Government had several plans in place to prepare for the impending annihilation of mankind by atomic war. One of these "plans" is documented (though no one knows if the government ever really attempted it. This plan was to create a deep underground bunker (like NORAD) that would house a few men and women of great physical health. They would be given nutrients, exercise, and drugs that would maintain them so that, in the case of world destruction, they could begin society over as Adam and Eve. According to the plans, this underground bunker was to be disguised as a land mass (an island) that would perpetually MOVE to thwart off the enemy locating its whereabouts (erratic tides, anyone?). How would this land mass move? There would be an enormous MAGNETIC DEVICE in its center -- so powerful that the earth's core would repel it, causing the land mass to constantly move. Do I believe this government theory is real? No. Do I believe the writers of "Lost" used it as their basis? ABSOLUTELY. Why?

Because the name of this government plan is #4815162342.

And the plan was devised by two men named Locke and Rouseau.

So, what does this mean? Well, it would explain what Desmond was doing under there, as he told Jack in his flashback that he was preparing for a RACE (human race?) around the world.

The magnet would explain why the tides are erratic and why all compasses point inland instead of north. If the magnet is powerful enough to affect the electric synapses of the human brain, it would cause any human nearby to hallucinate their subconscious (whispers, shannon killed by monster, jack's dad, walt in the jungle -- basically anything someone experiences alone). Over time, the magnet would cause them to go insane (the sickness, the others, Rouseau, Desmond).

The moving land mass would mean that it could have drifted practically anywhere, including Antarctica (the nearest land mass), where a polar bear could have certainly just walked on.

So, now the question remains: why did our castaways crash? Why are they on this island?

THEORY #2: They were (almost) all put on that plane on purpose.

Most everyone on the island has some sort of mental power, whether positive or negative (Walt, Hurley's "Luck," Claire's baby, perhaps Jack's "miracle") even thought they do not all know it yet. I believe that they were gathered without their knowledge and put on the same plane to be a part of the advanced human race that would be developed in project #4815162342.

But why were they all put on the plane at once? Why the urgency? And here's the real whopper.

THEORY #3: The island is the new Noah's Ark.

The world has been destroyed, with the exception of those on the island. Creator Damon Lindelof said in Rolling Stone magazine that the number of total days the castaways were on the island in season one was VERY important to the big answer. They were on that island 40 days and 40 nights.

Perhaps project #4815162342 succeeded just in time. The world has been wiped away. All that is left of mankind are our castaways. This is why CHILDREN (the baby, Walt) are so important.When the castaways realize that rules and laws as they existed in the world no longer exist, just watch as enemies and factions form. It's "Lord of the Flies" time.

However...

There is one last wild card.

The emblem on Desmond's jacket.

This emblem is the EXACT emblem of another famed conspiracy theory. It was called Project Montauk. Google it. It also involves a project with a very large magnet.

A magnet that turned into a wormhole that ancient slave ships were rumored to pass through, Oh yeah -- one other thing passed through the wormhole.

An alien monster

----------------

more from MARK STEELE
I believe that what tore apart the plane was irrelevant (explosion, magnet, etc.) because I think the real reveal is that the only REAL purpose for Oceanic Flight 815 was to get these people onto the project island. I believe the whole thing was instigated, every person unknowingly "recruited" to be on that flight (with the exception of one character -- that will have to wait for another time.) So, I think the cause of the crash is likely an explosion that was set and intentional by one of the people on the plane that we have already met.

Who do I think set the explosion? We'll save that for another time.

So, basically, there's not a coincidental reason the plane landed on this island (addressing the question of how it could land there if the island moves). The plane was put there on purpose, by the people who knew where the island was.

I believe that Rouseau and her team found the island for the same reason -- the people behind the project WANTED them to find it and, therefore, sent out the signal.

I do think the page of script on the website is a red herring, though most likely explained by the hallucination theory. There is a LOT of Lost theory rumination on clones and twins (and i considered it because Kate is a "gemini,") but if that plays in, I think it is an additional part of the plot rather than THE plot.

The 108 reset:

Though the government took extreme precaution to make certain the island was undetectable to the enemy, they put a failsafe in just to maker certain. Every 108 minutes, one of the individuals in the Montauk project is required to enter the project code to keep the failsafe system from blowing up the island in case it fell into the wrong hands. If the enemy ever found the island, broke into the underground, and killed the inhabitants, all evidence of the project would be destroyed after a maximum of 108 minutes.

So, why would the government require a reset every 108 minutes if they wanted the new human race healthy and well-rested?

Because there used to be more than one person down there.

They have all gone mad. Desmond is the only one left. hence the question: are you him?

He thought Locke was his replacement.

And I believe that Locke, indeed, is.

***

I think I focus too much on small details, rather than connecting the puzzle peices. Mark's theories are big picture - they make sense because they can be revealed and added to over time, extending the longevity of the series. this last reply though is just a mean teaser (if you read this Mark - MEAN!!!) and I can't wait to see if they pan out.

------------------

some of MY THOUGTS
i read that in RS this week - however on Wednesday's (9.28.05) episode Locke tells Desmond the plane crashed 44 days ago... episode one & two of season two take place within 7 hours of the final moments of last may's season finale, so either Locke is lying to Desmond or Lindelof is wrong. [EDIT: in the RS article Lindelof isn't quoted as saying that season one took place in 40 days - the writer of the article, Gavin Edwards says "Also important is the number of days the castaways have been stranded each season: at the end of Season One it's forty days."] so Gavin Edwards may be wrong or Locke is lying.]

p.s. when i re-watched Season one on DVD - i tried to keep track in a notebook the number of days they were there. obsessive, i know, but i went back and counted the mornings/nights from Season one. i also have counted in any references to the amount of time they have been stranded.

NUMBER OF DAYS SHOWN: 30

edisode 8: charlie says to hurley: "we've been here for 2 weeks" (at that point only 9 days had been shown)

episode 12: at the end of ep. 11, Locke & Boone find the hatch. at the beginning of ep. 12, it is said that Locke & Boone have been looking for Claire (actually investigating the hatch) for 4 days.

episode 13: Kate: "we've been here for over 3 weeks" [at this point, adding the days shown to the days made referenced to, they could have been stranded for 23 days]

episode 19: it is said that it has been 4 weeks since the crash... [however, that doesn't match up with days shown (27 shown by episode 19) + the days made referenced to]

assuming that in ep. 13 when kate says we've been here for over 3 weeks - and asuming that my calculation of that being day 23, by the final episode of season one, they have been there for 37 days.

Locke tells Desmond in episode two of Season two that they have been on the island for 44 days. acording to head writer Damon Lindelof, the first 3 episodes of season two take place within 7 hours of the hatch being opened (which happens at the end of season one's finale. since it is early in the morning when Locke tells Desmond this, this could be the 38th calculated day... meaning that if Locke is correct (44 days) then approx. 6 days are unaccounted for.


i am a freak. obsessed and a freak.

lost & zombies?

Lost, Burnt Thumbs & Suzanne Cryer

LOST - so this weeks episode was a little slow in parts but the scenes with Locke, Kate & Jack in the hatch were interesting. I am very curious to see how this season will play out. The dynamic has changed now that the hatch has been opened and the others are near.

BURNT THUMBS - so yeah, last night I burnt my thumb really bad on a piece of steamy, greasy hot bacon. yeah, that's right, i said bacon. it hurt pretty bad for about an hour. my wife told me to stick my thumb in milk to nuetralize the pain. oh yeah, the bacon tasted really good and i ate the piece that burned my thumb. Reveng is sweet.

SUZANNE CRYER - who is she, you ask? well last night i was watching ER. there was this couple who couldn't have children so eggs & sperm were implanted into this woman named Claire. The baby went in to distress... Claire didn't want to have a C-section, so the baby was born with little or no brain activity (lack of oxygen to the brain). The "parents' then didn't want the baby. The wife looked really familiar to me. I couldn't place it but i knew i had seen her in other tv shows. her voice was so familiar. I watched the credits but couldn't figure out who she was. After a little research (and after remembering that I thought i remembered seeing her on the show TWO GUYS A GIRL AND A PIZZA PLACE (later called TWO GUYS AND A GIRL) i found out her name was/is Suzanne Cryer (Ashley on TWO GUYS...). then after checking IMDB i saw that she was on SEINFELD. She was Marcy in the infamous Yada Yada Yada episode.

classic line: GEORGE: "you can't 'yada yada' sex... can you?"

Lost Season Premiere

what a great way to start off a new season. for the record, i accomplished my goal of watching every season one episode of LOST at 8 PM on WED, 9/21... basically just in time for the premiere of LOST. in 15 days i watched nearly 24 hours worth of Lost programming (including all 24 episodes, the commentaries and the bonus disc).

QUESTIONS:

1. did Shannon really see Walt and why was he talking backwards?
2. why did it say QUARANTINE on the inside of the hatch?
3. what was Desmond doing down in the hatch?
4. can the show get any better?

FAVORITE CHARACTER: John Locke

LOST (ABC website)
OCEANIC FLIGHT 815

lost

so 8 days ago, i purchased Season One of LOST. the season premiere of Season two is Sept. 21... a week from tonite. my goal is to watch all 24 episodes, all commentaries and special features before the season two begins. I wanted it to be fresh in my mind. I am crazy.

so far i am on episode 11.

there are so many redeeming values with LOST. i'm taking notes on the season one episodes. Expect a full rundown before next WEDNESDAY.

My son & Johnny Cash

My son, Micah, is 2 &1/2 years old.
The other day, I was playing Johnny Cash's live album 'At Folsom Prison'
and Micah just started dancing around the room. It was crazy! So i got out the video camera to capture such a special moment.

Who knew Johnny Cash could have such an impact on a 2 year old. Forget about Barney or Veggie Tales. Micah digs Cash!

Today, before I left to go to work, Micah started jumping up and down, yelling "Daddy, Johhny Cash, Johnny Cash, Johnny Cash!"

what a great kid.

9/11... i remember...

September 11th will come and go, for me, without much fanfare. To be completely honest, my mind will be elsewhere. For starters, the NFL season kicks off, so I will be glued to the TV most of the afternoon. Then, later that night, my job as a Youth Director will have me leading a fall kickoff for our youth group. To be honest, it has been weird hanging up flyers, promoting a youth event with the date 9-11 at the bottom. I don't think anyone can look at those numbers, in that order, without thinking about that tragic day in New York four years ago.

I have not forgotten 9/11. Maybe it's that tramatic of a moment in my lifetime, maybe it's because I'm a history buff...I don't know. But I have to admit, a part of me is fascinated by it all. There are so many compelling stories regarding the events of September 11th, when terrorists knocked us down...but not out. I've done some reading and investigating on the events and that which led up to that horrible day. We (United States) missed a lot of signs and opportunities to prevent this. But on the other hand, we don't think like a terrorist. The idea of using people and airplanes as a means of destruction are foreign to us...

I will be busy on September 11th but I will not forget September 11th.

-----------

i remember where i was when i found out... we were having a staff breakfast, celebrating a co-workers birthday @ the Cracker Barrell when the waitress came out and said "a plane hit the Trade Center." It took me a minute to remember what and where the World Trade Center actually was. When we left, my dad turned on the car radio. Peter Jennings was on ABCNews Radio... a few minutes after we departed, the first tower fell to the ground...

Ironically, unbeknownst to us, Flight 93 was probably flying over head about that time, as it was picked up on radar over Northeast Ohio.

By the time we got back to the office, I decided to head home to see what was unfolding. Just as I got home, the 2nd tower fell... before my eyes, on national tv.

the world will never be the same...

american wasteland...pt. 2

"New Orleans firefighters walk through water as a looted sports store burns in the background..."


it continues. New Orleans, first a wasteland as a result of a hurricane is now a more tragic wasteland of degenerate, selfish people, more concerned about their so called needs of $100 Nike shoes and expensive NFL jerseys...


LOOTERS RAMPAGE NEW ORLEANS
"An operation to bus more than 20,000 refugees to the Houston Astrodome was suspended temporarily when shots were fired in New Orleans at helicopters being used in the evacuation, a local government spokeswoman in Houston said."

NEW ORLEANS EVACUATION DELAYED BY SHOOTING
"Authorities suspended an evacuation of New Orleans on Thursday after a reported shooting at a military helicopter..."

An angry Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco told reporters: "We will do what it takes to bring law and order to our area."

"I'm just furious. It's intolerable," she said.

"Elsewhere in New Orleans, gunshots repeatedly rang out and fires flared as looters broke into stores, houses, hospitals and office buildings -- some in search of food, others looking for anything of value."

I know it must be crazy being forced from your home, your possessions and maybe even your family, but these desparate acts are only making things worse and making things take longer. It's fuel to a fire already raging. It's lawlessness.

Last night an entire unit of ambulances stopped making runs because of violence against them and their crews. An ambulance was overturned, a generator was stolen as well as other communication equiptment. Add to that hopsitals being broken in to. That is the lowest of low. Civility must have been blown away with the hurricane-force winds...

TROOPS DEPLOYED TO STOP LOOTING

american wasteland...

it is a horrible tragedy. hurricane katrina (a deceitful name of such a deadly, devastating storm) has ravaged New Orleans, Mississippi & even Alabama. left in it's path: destruction... total destruction.

water has continued to rise in the Big Easy as levees have broken (cue When the Levy Breaks by Led Zeppelin), flooding 80% of New Orleans. State and government officials have ordered the remaining people to evacuate - if for no other reason than for their own saftey (in the midst of tons of debree, no electricity, no phones, no food, no sanitation & stagnant, polluted water which is harvesting disease as i write) and so that crews can clean up and fix the many problems caused by Katrina.

So are the remaining people leaving in the midst of this national catastrophe? no. why? because they are looting. LOOTING!!!

i don't get it. i mean, do these people have no souls? it's not like they are looting bottled water or food to eat... no, not the essentials... they are looting jewelry, tv's, clothes and shotguns. there are reports that police and rescue officials were being shot at last night. what the wtf?

Is this what our society has come to? strike that. i dread to think and believe that what i know in my heart is true. no morals. no ethics. one man's catastrophe is another man's fortune. people are sick. I'd like to think that people are good hearted and compasionate, but i guess when given a choice to either
A. help fellow mankind, either with clean up or transportation of elderly/injured, etc, or doing whatever is asked of you by authorites... or,

B. steal stuff that isn't yours.

too many people chose B.

their punishment just might be disease or malnutritian or even death. i hope it was worth it. you can't take it with you, you know...

Lord, come quickly...

give me some shout outs

i never know how many people actually check out my blog... well if you are checkin, please let me know and post a comment. you must, if for no other reason than to boost my self esteem.

meat loaf for dinner

there has been a lot of things that have happened since i last blogged.
like, i went on vacation and well some other stuff, too. for some reason blogging just isn't in me right now.


OUT.

check out my wife's story of how we met HERE






p.s. i had meat loaf for dinner last nite.

church signs