Professor Not-As-Longhair

2008-03-09T17:46:00.000-07:00

If you know anything about me, I'm very into music. I'm a musician, singer, and self-made critic. I enjoy many types of music, but like everyone else, I have my limits. Country music is one of those personal limits, but this is not what today's topic is about.

Today, I want to just say a thing or two about a song that has come to grind my bones and make me want to break every nerve ending in my ears so I don't have to ever hear it again. (DISCLAIMER: If you like this song, that's fine, this is just my opinion -- don't take offense. If you do, I claim no blame.)

Before I reveal this song, I want to mention that I enjoy music that has heart, emotion, and meaning (no, Britney Spears doesn't count). The run-of-the-mill music and/or lyric combinations are very tired, and my lips actually curl downward when I hear such melancholic garbage. Maybe I'm too much of a music-snob, but I like to hear music that has passion, intensity, and movement, no matter how subtle or exaggerated.

The song that I has burdened my ears for so long and fuels my desire for its extinction is "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler. If your'e not sure what song I mean, feel free to search for it on yahoo or rhapsody or itunes. Unfortunately, this ridiculous song hides behind the mask of emotion and passion, but if you listen to it (and I hope it doesn't burn your ears) you might understand that it is a ruse. Her lyrics are just as bubbly with repetition and lyrics that don't really go in any vague direction. Ugh, it's no wonder that her song was a one-hit wonder... or was it a hit at all? Who knows, who cares, the song just plain sucks. When I hear it, I don't necessarily want to barf, but my ears want to.

Thanks for reading!

So far

2008-01-14T14:32:00.000-08:00

January, 2008 marks the 8th month since my graduation. It's disappointing, I guess, for those of us who (are naive to) think that once we graduate from college, there will be a job lined up for us. That's where I am now. In my 8-month endeavor for a full-time ministry position, I've concluded that ministry positions are no different than a non-ministry position anywhere else when it comes to trying to get one: you put out your resume', you polish your cover letter, and make phone calls and sometimes do interviews.

I didn't expect for some ministry position to be handed to me like a reward for finishing school. As you may know, most paid ministry positions require graduate school or even doctorate work. So, I knew when I got my undergraduate, churches wouldn't be calling me up to snag me up before another church did.

I think I've just come to the realization that I should just let go of "trying to get a job at a church". My vocational goal now is to trust God to provide me with a place of ministry that I can be fruitful in. The truth is that He's done that since October 2006 when I started playing with Riverside Church in River Ridge. It's been fulfilling, especially in these last couple of months to be able to lead worship there.

The problem lies in supporting my family. Still, God has provided a place to stay, a place for full-time employment, and loving family/friends to support us. There's no room for complaint, and I know God will move us in the right direction -- spiritually, mentally, and physically.

Would You Eat It?

2007-11-09T08:08:00.000-08:00

A curious question came up in the office today (Some of you might be asking yourself, "Office?" Yes, I work in an office at Industrial Products for the past 2 1/2 years). The question was "what could you eat on for the rest of your life if you had to?" A few of the items thrown in the mix were soup/raman noodles, red beans & rice (yes, that counts as one), and t-bone steak. As interesting as these items are, I'd like to throw it out there for the 10 people that read this to comment with their own favorites.

releasing the hate

2007-11-04T14:16:00.001-08:00

Wow, it's been a super long time since my last post here, but I've had plenty of notes put into my daughter's blog .

Anyway, so something has changed, aside from all of the everyday changes that have occurred since our trip to Boston. I've never been a fan of baseball, and still really am not. However, Jessica and I's tour of Fenway Park changed the way we thought about the Boston Red Sox. We decided to start keeping up with them almost before the regular season ended, hearing that they tied with the Indians as having the best record in the AL (maybe in the MLB). So naturally, we got caught up in the race for the AL title. Just like in 2004, they were down 3 games in the ALCS, but won 4 in a row. Also, just like in 2004, they swept the opposing team in the World Series to capture their 2nd title in 4 years. Pretty sweet huh? But I digress to the real reason for this post.

Since I started going to college at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, I began which grew into an eventual hate for LSU. I couldn't stand the fact that they were getting so much money (to recruit for their football team,etc) and UL wasn't! I also hated that there were so many people from Lafayette that supported LSU that didn't support UL.

Anyway, I'm over that now. In 2000, with the name change from USL, UL became a state school, allowing more money to flow from the good 'ol boys in Baton Rouge. It was naive to think that UL was the only school that got screwed over by the government, and I'm certain that every state has their own UL. So, I've moved on, and can let go of the hate I held on to for little-to-no reason. I still love my Cajuns, but I won't begrudge LSU for winning the National Championship, given they play well enough. They've been upgraded in my opinion to good standing, but don't look for any bumper stickers, t-shirts, banners or the like on my person.

So, here's to you, LSU. Good job beating your old coach in their own town.

new blog

2007-07-05T19:47:00.000-07:00

So that everyone can check what's going on with us and Julianne, you can go there by clicking here. So what are you waiting for? Go now :)

Graduation Blues?

2007-06-08T07:51:00.000-07:00

Well, I've done it! The degree has been issued, and the dance has been finished. I'm officially a college graduate! Woo-hoo! No more teachers, no more books, no more tuition! I'm sure the rhyme is different, but this is my song :)

Now that I'm officially done with school (at least, in my limited view of the future), I'm working full-time (insert sound from Debbie Downer of SNL). It's nice to not have school work to do, especially on the weekend, so I'm not complaining. I guess there's something every graduate feels: "I have to live like everybody else now" kinda thing.

It's ok though. I know that things are never permanent, especially in light of becoming parents and all the things that happen with that (can't wait!). Other than that, I'm on the prowl for a full-time ministry position in worship. I've had a few email and phone leads, but nothing too solid yet. I am hopeful, and I know that God will point me in the right direction. If you have yet to give it a view, you can check out my online resume' here.

graduation

2007-04-04T12:58:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm just about a month away from graduating. I think I shake from excitement as I sit here typing, but I try not to let it hit me too hard... yet. I've still got so many projects due in this month, including my 20-page senior paper that's due tomorrow.
I keep hearing the question asked of me, "So what are you gonna do now?" It's one of the questions I cannot answer, simply because I really don't know. What I do know is what I would like to do: lead worship full-time at a church. I've been exploring my options, but none have sprouted yet. I do not despair for the hope that I have in Christ is solid that He will take care of his servants. I'm listening and waiting for the words, "Go here." So, for now, I'm still running the race, and I can picture myself breaking the tape at the finish line. Chariots of Fire? Anyone? Bueller?

Saint-sational!

2007-01-15T07:15:00.000-08:00

For those of you who have not felt the impact of the Saints' first-ever, history-making appearance in the NFC Championship, let me fill you in. The last time they won a playoff game was in 2000, against the returning Super Bowl champs, St. Louis Rams, in the dome. Before that, I don't even think they made the playoffs since 1991, much less won the division. This year, they go 10-6, under a new coach, a new quarterback, and an offensive arsenal, much like the team of 2000. Providence, you say?

Friday was a good day. I finished up my class time at the workshop a day early, so I had that day to do some school work and goof around if I wanted to. I take a test, then catch a few minutes of video games. When Jessica gets home, she brought a surprise. She said it was a "card that she made all by herself." I opened it up, and just as she said, made all by herself -- only it had an extra surprise in it -- 2 SAINTS PLAYOFF TICKETS!!! Amazing, right? Yeah, I thought so too. So after thanking her repeatedly, we left for the game on Saturday around 3pm. yes, 3pm... the game started at 7pm. We got a good parking spot, and were only a block away from the Superdome (to those of you who have tried parking there, you know how hard that is). The doors opened at 4:30, but we had time to hang out with the other fans, while booing the very few Eagles fans, and listening to the Steve Miller Band play live. I've already said a lot, so I'll sum up the game: VERY LOUD! I heard that the decibal rating for a plane flying by is 1.12. The stadium that night: 1.07 = deafening. It was a rollercoaster game that had many highlights and only a few lowlights, but it was a rockin good time. So, onto Chicago where we look to go to our first ever Super Bowl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (even Terry Bradshaw is cheering them on)

Speaking of providence, it's game day and we went out to a few sports to get a Saints t-Shirt (only one I had is long-sleeve). There were no shirts anywhere! So, we settled on a hat, and a black t-shirt, just so I'd least have the right colors on. When we went to check out, there was a bundled up shirt on a hanger, apparently left by a customer who'd changed their mind about the shirt. We pick it up curiously to find that it's a white Saints t-shirt! We both looked at each other in amazement, and checked it for wardrobe malfunction, and then bought it! I was blown away... as if it had been left just for me :)

gotta check it

2007-01-04T14:52:00.000-08:00

I have re-launched my website. Feel free to browze around. I'm gonna put up more pictures, but that's what I have for now. Comment any suggestions you might have for improvement if you have a few minutes.

Caperton the Website

Bell's no more

2007-01-02T13:57:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to update all of you who haven't seen me in some time. It took roughly 3 weeks to get over my bell's palsy. Like I said, it wasn't painful, just annoying. It finally went away, and it almost came at a surprise because it was so gradual. So, by the time I arrived in Lafayette for Christmas, it was totally gone and no one could see any evidence whatsoever.

In other news, I have roughly 5 more months of school until graduation. I'm extremely stoked, and I'm looking forward to starting my post-school worship ministry experiences.

Bell's Palsy Anyone?

2006-11-20T12:58:00.000-08:00

     Well, I started to feel a little numbness in my tongue on Thursday, but I attributed that to burning my tongue the few days before. That night, it felt like my right eye was about to fall out of my face b/c my eye lids were spread further apart than usual. I thought my eyes were just dry or whatever, so I went to bed. Next morning, I get up to find that I'm having a hard time eating my cereal or smiling. Jessica noticed that I wasn't smiling all the way, and was worried that it was something serious. I shrugged it off and assured her that it was nothing.
     Around lunch time, at work, I felt the dryness in my right eye getting worse and i couldn't sniff in my right nostril. So, the guys at work finally pushed me to go to the doctor. I went in, and Jessica's boss had me get pushed ahead of everything else, fearing the worst. I was then diagnosed with Bell's Palsy.
     In case you don't know what that is (and I didn't at first), I was told that it's a virus that you can just get from the air, and not from anyone b/c it's not contagious. It renders one side of your face paralyzed and/or numb. Among my inconveniences are, I cannot: blink with my right eye, open my mouth much on my right side, raise my right eye brow, or suck out of a straw. I also have to wear an eye patch during my sleep so my eye doesn't dry out when I sleep.
They have me on steroids and antibiotics. They anticipate that it will just go away in as short as a week or as long as a few months.
     Funny story, and I'll be done: I was playing in church Sunday morning, and we were playing this slow, sweet acoustic guitar song thanking God for the things He's done for us. So, my right eye started to well-up and tears streamed down my face. Not because I was sad or it touched me or whatever, but because my eye was so dry it couldn't take it. As soon as the song was over, I ventured off-stage out of the service, where I got the saddest looks asking, "Are you ok?" I couldn't help but laugh and assure everyone I was fine.
     So, that's been my last few days. Feel sorry for me yet? Don't, I'll get over it :) I appreciate any prayers though!

Guitar Hero II

2006-11-16T11:02:00.000-08:00

You may have read my previous post on the original Guitar Hero game. It's by far my favorite game to date (not to go out with, just up to now :-p ). Well, guess what... it's time for Guitar Hero II! It's got all kinds of new tunes, and with added features. You can play multiplayer like before, but now you can play bass along side or battle it out for points, and you can pick whatever level you're on. It's also got some other cool stuff that you can unlock, like a fish guitar, a viking-head guitar, an custom guitar in the shape of the US, and characters too like the grim reaper. Some of the cool songs it has are: "Sweet Child O'Mine" G'N'R, "Mother" Danzig; "Heart-shaped Box" Nirvana; "Carry On My Wayward Son" Kansas, "Them Bones" Alice in Chains; and "Free Bird" Lynyrd Skynyrd. Those are a few of my faves. Anyway, check it out if you have a PS2!

random entertainment

2006-09-08T07:49:00.000-07:00

Well, as you know, I don't blog much. It's not that I don't enjoy it or anything. I just don't have that much to say on a regular basis. I'm almost too busy for a regular creative blog time. Today, is different, as you can see, because I'm actually blogging. Although, I'm not writing to comment, complain, or spout off about this or that. I'm simply here to show you what I've seen lately on YouTube. Enjoy!

Guitar craziness

A-Ha Family Guy Version

Men on Film

Fire Marshall Bill in Space -- wait for the end!

Guitar Hero

2006-07-28T14:10:00.000-07:00

I can't stop playing it. It's mesmerizing! It's definitely the funest game I've played in a REALLY long time. If you haven't heard me talking about it, I'm addicted to the game GUITAR HERO! If you're not a rock fan, then save yourself from reading the rest of this.

It actually comes with its own guitar... even though it looks and feels like something Parker Brothers or Playskool would put on the market. There's just 5 buttons, and you follow along the notes that it tells you to play, which are, of course, color-coded. It's so basic, but yet so fun! Best part about it is that you can play it if you've never picked up a guitar or if you've been playing for 20 years!

It's got modern and classic hits, and even some new original stuff that you can unlock. Check out the screen shots! Maybe, if you're lucky, you can sample it at Best Buy. I know the one in Metairie has it as a demo that's been up for like 3 months. It's just that popular! It has about 30 songs on it, getting a little harder as you unlock more. There are 4 different levels, and believe me, it's not as easy at it looks. I've had the game since June, and I'm just not starting to get through the 4th level.

Like I said, very fun and addicting. I've already hooked 2 guys from work, 2 of my friends, and even got my wife, Jessica, on it! Don't knock it til you try it! Definite thumbs up!

Yaaaarrrrr me thirties!

2006-06-19T05:51:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm officially finished with another decade. Yes, that's right, my 20's have left me, and the 30's have taken me. I think I actually counted the minutes until the end of my most coherent decade.

Coming into the weekend, I was told that I would have a surprise waiting for me... Jessica was suppose to take me to a nice restaurant after I had gone to see X-Men 3 (save that for another post). So, after the movie, Jessica picks me up from the movie. She stops about 30 seconds later and says, "here, put on this blindfold." I'm thinking that she just doesn't want me to see where we're going, so I put it on. About an hour later, we arrive at our destination. I felt us going on and off the interstate, so my theory that we were going to Lafayette didn't make sense, nor of going to New Orleans. So, maybe Mississippi? Anyway, so we get out, and she takes me into the place (still with blindfold on). I could hear the theme to Pirates of the Carribean playing, and suddenly I felt warm air hitting me. She stops me, and I'm thinking we're at some kind of exhibit or display for Pirates of the Carribean. Well, not so much. The hankerchief comes off, and after being blinded by the light of the sun, I hear and realize, much to my surprise, 25 of my friends and family are there to say "SURPRISE!!" I was very surprised indeed, and we had a whole lot of fun. Jessica really went all out with the theme, which was "pirates". There were candles floating in the pool, everybody had bandanas, pirate caps and/or eye patches on. We all said "yaaarrrr" a bunch. Jessica even made a list of pirates' favorite things (i.e. What's a pirate's favorite place to eat? Aaarrrrrby's). I had many presents and I got to play with my niece and nephew. Not to mention I'm stocked on food for the next 2 - 3 weeks.

All in all, I say goodbye to my twenties in style, and hello to my thirties forever (because you can forget about moving onto forties, fifties or beyond ;) ).

tidbits

2006-06-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

For those of you, like myself, who have grown up in any traditional-type church, you're probably well-aware of the hymn factor involved in worship services. Once I got to college, I wanted nothing to do with any hymn being sung at any given time. A couple years back, God started working on my heart for a balance in worship. So, fast forward to now... I actually like a hymn. I know, I have amazed even myself. The hymn is "Be Thou My Vision".

-------

I led worship for the youth at a community church in Kenner last night. It was great fun, and I think the kids enjoyed it too. There was a few moments where I could tell they would rather be somewhere else, but there was one, just one girl, arm slightly raised, eyes closed, worshipping Christ. It hit me and made it all worth it. I couldn't stop smiling after that. I thought, "This is why God has me here, leading His people in worship."

-------

In other news, I just bought a Playstation 2 for $50!! To you other gamers, this may be old hat for you, but up until now I have had the Nintendo GameCube. It's treated me well, but PS2 has offered me something that no other system has yet -- a band. Yeah, if you're into gaming at all, you might have heard of Guitar Hero. I tried it out at BestBuy and had a blast! There are over 70 songs! You play on this (what looks like a kid's version of a) guitar, with 6 colored buttons and a "pick". You just follow the fret board and tells you exactly when to play each string. There's already drums, bass, and a singer doing everything else. Good times, neat fun.

Finally!

2006-05-15T14:34:00.000-07:00

Alright, so I haven't posted in a while.... ok, a good while, but I've been freakin busy! So many papers, so many reports, so many finals! I barely got everything in on time! But, I did it, praise be to God. No finals grades yet... but don't worry, you'll be posted.

On another note, pun intended, I'm gonna start gettin down on recording some songs for MySpace. If you're not yet assimilated into the phenomena called MySpace, then check out my musical profile here. I have one song up already, and I can't promise they'll be original, but it's done acoustic-style. When I get brave enough to actually record something original that I haven't thrown away, I'll be sure to post them. So, in the meantime, for your entertaining pleasure, please visit the sites/band recommendation along the right margin. Thank you and goodnight.

he got it right

2006-04-06T07:02:00.000-07:00

There's this song on this CD I borrowed from my pastor, with mostly hymns that have been redone in contemporary music. It's called "Depths of Mercy" by Red Moutain Church. There are 2 songs on it, however, that have been written by modern songwriters (one of those, written by Mo Leverett, President of Desire St. Ministries in New Orleans/Destin, FL). One of the two modern tunes is called "Wedding Dress" by Derek Webb. The lyrics of the chorus go like this:

"I am a whore, I do confess, I put you on just like a wedding dress, and I run down the aisle, I run down the aisle / I'm a prodigal with no way home, I put you on just like a ring of gold, and I run down the aisle, I run down the aisle to You"

Powerful, isn't it? There may be some of you that are saying, "Is this a Christian song? If it is, I can't believe they'd use 'whore' in a Christian song!" Well, guess what, he just did, and I think it's a great song. When I heard it, I thought, "Now this guy has got it right!" How many Christian songs, or any other songs for that matter, have that powerful a message in that type of fashion? If you do hear something this strong, it's usually anti-religion/God. Besides that, he used very vivid imagery in his point that really grabs your attention, and you know exactly what he's talking about. There's no sugar-coated, happy-go-lucky, everything's alright words here. He simply paints a picture of his expression to God. It's truly beautiful, and I aspire to write music like that.

band game

2006-03-21T13:53:00.000-08:00

Hey, I thought since I haven't posted in a while, and found this on myspace, that it'd be worth putting on here. See if you can guess all of the band names in this picture --- the image is kind of small. Might be better for you download it before you guess. If you feel like commenting, just name 1 or 2. Thanks! I'll start you off with 2 of the easy ones: The Eagles and Gorillaz. Have fun!

typing

2006-02-03T07:07:00.000-08:00

People sleep in all kinds of ways. I'm accustomed to using 2 pillows, otherwise my neck has a severe pain in the morning. Recently, I've noticed that my bottom pillow tends to move steadily toward the side of the bed. I have to re-adjust it every night before I go to sleep. It may be all in my head, but the pillow seems to be going further and further off the bed.

It got me thinking that maybe my obsession with typing has gone too far. When I was in high school, I took typing my junior and senior year. When Jessica and I were dating, and just hanging out with friends or whatever, she would feel my typing words (of course, without a keyboard) on her arm or shoulder. She finally asked me about it, and I had no idea that I was even doing it! I don't do that as much, mainly because I get my typing quota from work or email or blogging. Now, apparently that my fingers are getting their quota, is my head typing while I sleep?

For those of you who have not had the pleasure of journaling or doing research papers without a keyboard, we use to have to use typewriters. And with typewriters, when you get to an end of a line on a paper, you hit enter, and the whole middle part (called the carriage) moves over to the next line at the left-hand indent. Is my head actually doing this at night?? Have I turned into.... TYPE WRITER HEAD!?

Movie Review: Glory Road

2006-01-10T19:34:00.000-08:00

If you're like me, you haven't seen the previews, and have no clue what this movie is about. So, if that's you, then check it out the preview. If it's not, then you're probably wondering how I've seen it already. Well, let me tell you! Jessica heard on the radio about free movie passes, and we never miss our chance at those, so she picked them up. Radio Disney was giving them away, and it was a very packed house. We got there an hour early and there were still about 50 people in front of us.

Going into this movie, I assumed that it wasn't going to be much of anything. When I think of a Disney movie, I think it's going to be hokey, less than exciting and goofy. It's rated PG, after all -- how good could it be? You might feel the same way, but you'd be wrong about this movie.

The story is basically a 1965 near-historic account of the first black NCAA team to start and go all the way to win the national championship, which they did their first year. The movie shows you a lot about what racism the players went through, and their battle to become champions and prove to the world that black men could play basketball.

This is the part in a review where I talk about some parts of the movie I might be critical about. After conversing with my wife, it seems that there aren't any. I'm not saying this movie is perfect by any means, but it's high quality.

Highlights of the movie include updates of the players at the end. The even more special treat was the interviews with the real players and even Don Haskins himself. That's really what made the movie for me. It was also amazing how well the casting was. John Lucas played the coach and he really did a great job. Even the players' likeness to the original players are quite uncanny. If you do happen to see this movie, listen for anything you might hear about Pat Riley... yes, the NBA coach... he's been around awhile, but he's actually a player in this movie :)

Overall: A+

I would definitely recommend to anyone. Whether you love basketball, sports in general, or any uplifting type of story.

down with the nemesis

2005-12-28T06:36:00.000-08:00

Take that, Arch Nemesis! Earlier in the year, I posted about my arch rival. I think, after all this time, I've finally come to the point of justification by domination. This villain of aggravation has been taunting me my entire span as an employee at my current company. I had come to grips with the fact that it would always outwit me in my goal of taping up boxes and various other shipping items. But, today, that is a thing of the past! I've found a way for it to do my bidding, without back talk or lip of any kind! So, take that Arch Nemesis, your days of glory are done!

bad ears, bad

2005-12-14T18:28:00.000-08:00

As some of you may already know, there are lyrics in songs, some very popular, where it is hard to understand a word or two in any given phrase, and can sometimes be miscrewd to be something that it's not. For example:

Red Hot Chili Peppers' song "Scar Tissue", I thought what he was saying was "with the purple shed, it's a lonely view..." Jessica thought it was "with the burning shed, this lonely view...", but it's really "with the birds I'll share this lonely view..." weird huh?

Here are some others that are humorous that I've heard of or have thought myself (*hint: it's funnier if you know the song and can sing along with the wrong words*):

AC/DC's "Dirty Deeds":
wrong: "dirty thieves and the thunder chiefs..."
right: "dirty deeds done dirt cheap..."

Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze"
wrong: "excuse me while I kiss this guy"
right: "excuse me while I kiss the sky"

John Mellencamp's "Authority Song"
wrong: "I frighten Dorothy, and Dorothy always wins"
right: "I fight authority, authority always wins"

Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water"
wrong: "Slow talkin' Walter, the fire engine guy"
right: "Smoke on the water, the fire in the sky"

The Police's "Message In A Bottle"
wrong: "I'll send an SOS to a squirrel"
right: "I'll send an SOS to the world"

You can find some more here.

What are some that you've heard?

I've done it!

2005-11-25T06:59:00.000-08:00

Fellas, I have done it! I have created the ultimate way to travel back in time! How did I do this, you mask ask! Well, all you have to do is grow your hair really long and let your beard get shaggy for as long as you can stand it over a period of a few years. After that, you can instantaneously make yourself look 10 years younger! Just look at what it's done for me!

For those of you who didn't know me back then, the 2nd picture is what I looked like at 19.

loyalty

2005-11-12T10:54:00.000-08:00

I guess I consider myself to be critical of music. I know what aspects of music I enjoy, and I don't listen to the other crap (sucky slide steel guitar -- you can have that). On the most basic of scales, that's how I measure what I like. Being a musician, it's musically-healthy to be critical of what you hear.

So, with that out of the way, I can say that I love music. If I could, I would have the mp3 player constantly hearing stuff, if not, then playing it. I like many kinds of genres, rock (goth, classic, metal, alternative), selective hip hop, classical, new age (world), blues (classic and modern), and selective jazz... just to name a few. My bias probably stays in the rock field, however.

There is the issue of loyalty. Some people like the sound of a few bands, and buy their albums, no matter what it sounds like. While some others like songs that come on the radio and have no idea who they are, or what else they sing. Not me. When I hear a song that I like, great. That by no means that I become loyal to that band. I might go to B&N or Yahoo Music to check out the album. But that's it. I also might like a band/musician and never buy any of their stuff, like Black Eyed Peas, Dave Matthews Band, Busta Rhymes, or any one-hit wonder. I may like one or two of their songs, but for the most part, I enjoy their artistic talent.

I will state, however, that there are bands that really have some great stuff over the years that have more good stuff than not: Sixpence None the Richer, Sarah McLachlan, and Disturbed. There are more, but I'll save that for later.

Halloween

2005-10-28T09:16:00.000-07:00

The season is upon us! I think maybe it's a mix of football season in there, but I love this time of year! There's a mystery in the cool breezes that finally comes down to Southern Louisiana. I love seeing the new line of costumes, and make up FX. It also is a season of horror movies!!! If you're looking for something scary to watch, then check these movies out (in no particular order):

Serpent and the Rainbow
Nightmare on Elm Street (best of series: 1,3,4)
Halloween (best of series: 1,2,H20)
Freddy vs. Jason
Friday the 13th (best of series: 6,7,Jason Goes to Hell)
The Exorcist
Poltergeist
Salem's Lot
Dracula (1931,1979,1992)
Saw
Van Helsing
Sleepy Hollow

let me speak on this...

2005-10-21T15:25:00.000-07:00

Does anyone hear hymns on the radio? Maybe on Christian stations, or elsewhere at Christmas time. But what about the top 40 stations? Why not? Maybe it's because the music is out-dated. Maybe people just aren't into that style anymore. If that's true, then why sing songs that are 100 years old in church? Are they considered too sacred to disregard? Has it been done so long that we dare not change it? Do they even hold meaning anymore? These are just questions that came to mind when I originally wrestled with this matter.

Psalm 98 says, "Sing to the Lord a new song". God wants to hear new praises from His people. In recent years, it seems to have caught fire. And if that's what we ought to do, then why rehash old, played out tunes? Why continue on the way we've always done it? Do we assume that because God doesn't change that He doesn't want music to change? I've heard the argument that the style of traditional music represents a more pure time. I think that theory is about as solid as topsoil in New Orleans.

Is it the change? By nature, people fight change, but it's just as inevitable as death and taxes. Why not embrace it? Welcome it in to learn from and in-turn be changed by it!

If the songs we sing are for God anyway, then does the style matter? To God, I don't think it does. He enjoys the praises of His people, no matter what the medium. I believe God wants us to worship Him from our hearts, and when we do that, God smiles.

The style more has to do with creating a condusive enviornment for the worshipper to enter God's presence with joy in our hearts and repentence on our lips. Worship leaders are doing their job when that happens. This can be done in multiple arenas: music, art, drama, scripture reading, prayer, etc. The possibilites are endless, as long as the heart is open.

So, can people worship with the "old school"? Yes, but I think it stifles your expression to God. This also goes for songs that you've "known your whole life" and are not traditional. Those songs can just as much stumble out of your mouth without meaning because of it's repetitiveness.

Here's what I'm *NOT* saying: Hymns suck and should never be sung in church. Every song we sing in church should be brand new.

MY POINT: Keep worshipping and do it with your heart, soul and mind. Keep it fresh and fun. God deserves it.

what the crap?

2005-10-04T11:23:00.000-07:00

That phrase and others like it get on people's nerves. I'm sure that everyone can comment on this, so I'll just start the ball rolling with 2 of my anti-favorite sayings of the everyday man... or woman:

"...irregardless..."

"less is more"

Gimme some of yours

getting my composure

2005-09-17T09:33:00.000-07:00

At last, we've heard the words we've longed to hear since the ordeal has happened: "Metairie is open!"

That's right, we'll be moving back into our house in Metairie on Wednesday, Sept. 21. As you know, our house was not damaged or looted during the happenings of the past 3 weeks. We are amazingly blessed in this time of crisis, and we have no one to thank more than God for helping us through wonderful family and friends.

So, the time has finally come to return to our normalcy. It will be in the fact that we'll be back home, but not quite normal yet. We may be having guests with us -- family that was less fortunate than ourselves -- so that should be fun... seriously! We love to entertain and Jessica is close to her family anyway, so we're excited.

You'll have to read her blog to find out about her job (I've gotta leave something for her to post). I will be working again with my company as soon as they set up shop again.

My school, unfortunately, was devastated by flooding, as most of New Orleans East was. So, I'll be continuing this semester, if not next semester as well, online. Graduation date is still set for the spring, 2007.

END OF LINE (Extra kudos to whoever recognizes this tag line!)

a new chapter

2005-09-12T14:25:00.000-07:00

As you may have read in Jessica's previous post, we have evacuated and have landed in Lafayette for the time being. There's no telling as to how long our stay will be there, but we hope to have a plan in place by then.

Anyway, for now, I get to start back, finishing up my semester at school, which will be through correspondence/internet classes. I believe my school has temporarily relocated to Atlanta, GA, and I guess they'll play it by ear (as everyone from New Orleans is doing) to see when they will resume classes there. In any case, I will graduate on time, dang it!

Just for a side note, for those wandering, we made it out fine. Some of have seen living proof of this. The place we are renting in Metairie turned out ok. There was no structural or water damage to the place, but there are tree limbs that have filled the yard (which is extremely minor comparitively -- our relatives in the area were not so lucky). We were able to go over there on Labor Day and see the effects, of which I'll have pioctures of shortly. We grabbed some clothes, a few electronics that we didn't want stolen, and after almost 8 hours of total time going, being there, and coming home, we called it a day, and made our way to Laffy.

It's cool because we have gotten to see friends, family, which has been good. It's also been god that Jessica still has a job to go to so we can still have an income. That definitely puts me with less to do with a whole lot of time to do it in. So, I guess i'll be catching up on my reading for classes I should be able to get finished. Oh well, I guess I'll try to get a little smarter in the process.

All in all, I can't complain. With the biggest disaster to hit America landing in my backyard, God is still good. He spared us and blessed us tremendously. What more could I ask for?

what now

2005-09-01T09:21:00.000-07:00

speechless

not a good way to diet

2005-08-18T14:30:00.000-07:00

Ok, so vacation was awesome this year, as you can read on Jessica's Blog. Wednesday of that week, us men decided to go deep sea fishing. We got about 45 minutes into the boat ride, and I realized that it would be another 45 minutes until we stopped to fish. Apparently I had too much to eat for breakfast, and my stomach decided that it wasn't such a good idea after all to stuff my face. So, I tried to talk down my stomach by sitting down and forcing myself to think that it'll go away. It did... for about 5 minutes. Cold sweat was forming on my brow when I decided to get up and go to the back of the ship. I felt it coming and sure enough, I threw up... and it tasted like coffee. And I did it 4 times.

Cold sweats aside, I felt better. I moved to the cabin and got some cheez-its and a coke because you're supposed to keep your stomach full. Una palabra: Mistake. Not 10 minutes later, i'm back port-side, letting loose the stomach juice. I decide to hold myself up on my elbows on the side, which seemed to help... until we stopped. I think to myself that I would be much better off if the engine kept running. Without the engine, even in calm waters, the boat seemed to almost bounce from side to side, to where I could barely keep my balance. I proceeded to let more juice loose til I could conjure enough strength to just cast one reel. I pull it together, and cast about 3 times. I caught a fine red snapper, about 2 feet long. I also saw some dolphins coming along the side, eating what most people were throwing back because of the fish's size. That was a cool site to see them within petting distance. The thought of petting them or swimming them was heavily out-weighed by more thoughts of my impending water pollution from my mouth and its opposite end.

When I couldn't spew anymore, I finally laid down in the cabin and stayed there the rest of the 6-hour trip. The few moments that I got up, my brain alarmed itself and told me that if I got up again, my organs would be the next thing to leave my body. So, I gave in and laid down again happily.

The worst part of it really was that my father-in-law paid for me to go, only to lose my entire insides to the gulf. But at least I caught one fish right? Next time, I'll just take a double dose of dramamine. I've learned my lesson there.

ribbed

2005-08-04T06:07:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I wake up this morning, just as usual. I slide down to the end of my bed and turn off my alarm. (I put it that far away so I actually have to get up to turn it off, and once I'm up, then I'm up.) This is at 6:45am. Jessica, like most people, is not so happy to get up in the morning. She usuually tosses while I scramble to get dressed and go take Coca out.

Usually violence doesn't precede me getting up in the morning, but today was just different. When Jessica turned over, putting more sheets over her head to block the sunlight, her right foot decided to say 'good morning' by nudging, nearly cutting, my rib cage. I almost fell off the bed, and would have if not for being able to touch the ground. I looked back, not so wounded, thinking I'd see her smiling, as if she was playing a joke. She was covered with sheets, so I couldn't see her face, so I said "hey". I get a cute giggle, and I ask, "Why do I get kicked in the ribs in the morning?" I was answered by another giggle and apology. We got a good chuckle out of it. Good times.

new blog

2005-08-01T14:19:00.000-07:00

I started a new blog on xanga, where I talk about issues surrounding modern music. You might find it interesting: http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=daskoontas

Promise, the link works.

ventrilo-fart

2005-07-29T11:17:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm sitting in class, on the last day, and I'm listening to the professor, like everyone else is. I have my arms folded, and I notice that my finger-nails are a bit rough on my thumb. For some reason, I rub my two thumbs together, with my arms folded, and it makes a sound that anyone would hate to make in the middle of any social setting. If you haven't figured it out yet, it sounded like a muffled gas-passing... a social faux-pas. So, I thought to myself, "Don't act like it was a fart. No sudden moves.. no sudden moves... stop moving!" I moved my arms, and I thought it was too fast, so I'm sure my neighboring students were wondering if it was real or not. Of course, no fart = no smell, but not all farts smell, so I tried to ignore it as best I could.

It reminded me of something in the game, The Sims 2, where one of the new interactions in the game is to "ventrilo-fart". It shows your sim, farting (passing some weird yellow gas from their goolah) and pretending like it was the other person. Then, they both laugh it off. Good times.

slap you naked

2005-07-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

Today, in my New Testament Interpretation class, our professor was talking to us about how stern his father was, as he was growing up. He emphasized something about admitting your weakness (I don't remember, but I wrote it down!), and he tried to imitate what Paul's father may have reacted when Paul was young. He said, and I quote, "It makes me wanna slap you naked and hide your clothes!" I seriously laughed out loud with the rest of the class, and couldn't stop thinking about it... obviously. I just thought I'd share that dose of comedy with you. If you don't get it, then you'd have to be there :-P

New Pictures

2005-07-14T06:48:00.000-07:00

I'm not usually one to post pictures, but because I'm sure a lot of you won't be visiting our house any time soon, here are some pics of our place in Metairie. Enjoy :)

Metairie Pics

Hurricane Madness

2005-07-11T05:34:00.000-07:00

Well, chalk another one up for New Orleans. This makes two years in a row that "the sky is falling" cries came from the media, and again, no storm. Last year, it was Ivan, that finally went back east. A whole week of school was cancelled! I have no quams with missing a few days school for a small vacation. Of course, I think half my life is wasted away sitting in traffic, just getting to Baton Rouge! In the chaos that ensued with the evacuation of this area, traffic was backed up going any direction out of New Orleans. I think it took one of Jessica's aunts to get from her house in Kenner to Zachary in just under 12 hours!! Ridonkulus!

This year, Dennis moved the same direction. There were no evacuations. The most we had over here was a few gusts and some rain. Nothing big... I've had heavier thunderstorms. Some people were "smart" this year, and stayed home. Good for them. We went to Zachary... just in case... and we were going anyway. So, just to let you know, of course we're fine. So is New Orleans. Gulf coast beaches on the other hand, may be a different story.

Stop it, media! I'm trying to sleep!!

Movie Review: Batman Begins

2005-06-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

May I say that when I originally heard of a 5th Batman movie, a few years ago, I can't say I was eagerly awaiting. If it was going to be anything like the last two disasters (Batman Forever and Batman & Robin -- if anybody comments anything good about George Clooney, I will delete your comment and maybe stone you), it was probably going to flop. But then I thought, who the crap is going to play Batman?? Is there anybody who could step up? Keaton was great, but I doubted that he'd even consider coming back. So, I knew they had to start from a clean slate.

So, that's what they did. They got some great actors, some old faces, some new, and really put it together. I'd like to start by talking about the authenticity. The writers, director, etc went all out, it seems, to be as correct as possible... and they were! Kudos to the purists who had this thing running, and I tip my hat to the dedication to bringing Batman out in a way that was true to the story.

His humble beginnings as a young boy, and his fear of bats, to his training by Ras-al-ghul. Speaking of which, Liam Neeson rocked. Very true to his character, and I dig the Orientalish-goatee deal. Check it out.

Gotham City was exactly like it was suppose to be. I'm not sure about the whole "island" deal... which makes it look a lot like Manhattan, but there were definite parts that gave the city a comic feel... kind of larger than life feeling, that only the world of Batman could bring.

I've already started this, but I'll give a character review:

- Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman = Solid! I'm not sure they could've gotten a better fit. He was very believable, as both the dark knight and a billionaire. Good job big wigs!

- Liam Neeson as Ducard/Ra's Al Ghul = Again, rockin! He has this mentor aura about him that puts him exactly in the right role.

- Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes = She played a part, I guess. Her character is made-up, I think. I don't ever remember seeing her in any comic. I may be wrong, but she didn't need to be in it. I guess she was to bring in some kind of love story. Although, who knows whether or not they're really together at the end... very ambiguous.

- Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon = He's definitely a great actor (The Professional, Bram Stoker's Dracula [1992]), and I guess it was the mustache, but I thought he was almost an exact duplicate of what I pictured Jim Gordon to look like.

- Michael Caine as Alfred = Michael Gough portrayed the Wayne care-taker in the Tim Burton versions, and did a great job, but I think Michael Caine, a veteran and accomplished actor, was better suited. I bought that he actually cared for the family and was willing to do anything to take care of them. I dunno, probably has to do with him being a better actor all around.

- Cillian Murphy as Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow = Again, true to his character. Might not have gotten as much time in the movie as some purists would like, but he definitely was an intriquite part of the story, and was true to the story of how he affected his victims, and how he fell victim to Batman. Good stuff.

- Tom Wilkinson as Carmine Falcone = I think this guy was made up, but it doesn't matter. He was kinda symbolic of big crime in the city that Batman was supposed to rise up against. Wilkinson did a great job because he stereotypically always plays a bad guy because well, he's good at it.

- Rutger Hauer as Earle = Another veteran actor that made the grade and kept the movie at an all-star cast status. Another great bad guy.

- Mark Boone Junior as Flass = Another comic-true character. The actor isn't that well-known, but he's been around a while. He'll be a typical bad guy but this is his chance to prove himself.

- Linus Roache as Thomas Wayne = I love how they showed lots of flashbacks to him and his connection to Bruce. I really brought to the surface the real anger that Bruce has for his parents' killer, and made you feel that with him. It helped that the actor was more of a father-figure kinda guy too.

Final Grade: A -- for sweet effects, great acting, true to the comics in story and characters, and all-star cast. I would have given it a A+, but it lost the plus because the fighting scenes were hard to follow and trying to push a love story.

Holy Crap

2005-06-13T06:18:00.000-07:00

You scored as Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan. You are an evangelical in the Wesleyan tradition. You believe that God's grace enables you to choose to believe in him, even though you yourself are totally depraved. The gift of the Holy Spirit gives you assurance of your salvation, and he also enables you to live the life of obedience to which God has called us. You are influenced heavily by John Wesley and the Methodists.

Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan

79%

Emergent/Postmodern

64%

Fundamentalist

61%

Charismatic/Pentecostal

50%

Neo orthodox

50%

Classical Liberal

50%

Reformed Evangelical

50%

Roman Catholic

36%

Modern Liberal

36%

What's your theological worldview?
created with QuizFarm.com

Communion Sunday

2005-06-07T17:00:00.000-07:00

June is about the 8th month of our attendance at Destiny Place Church, and this is the 2nd Communion service (the 1st being 6 weeks before this one). Unlike most churches, our church's communion ceremony involves "intinction". This is where you have a plate of bread, that you break off while the holder says, "This is my body broken for you". The next person is holding a cup filled with some kind of dark fruit juice (ours just happens to be cranberry-grape), and you dip your piece of bread in the cup, and eat it as the holder says, "This is my blood shed for you".

I am the one put in charge of getting the necessities: bread and juice.
I knew that this was not a huge responsibility, but needed to be done. We drove in from Jessica's parents' house in Zachary on Sunday morning, and had to stop quickly to drop off our dog at the house. Following that, we stopped at "Save Yourself Center" Sav-a-Center, across from our house to get the goods for the service. Not too hard, right?

So, we get to the church, and set up for service, as usual. Jessica was then asked to take out the bread we bought out of the package, and place them on the plates. When she opened the bag, she immediately noticed a distinct smell. GARLIC! She saw the label that we obviously overlooked that read, 'Roasted Garlic Bread'. Eek-eek. The bread was pretty strong, and it even had thick cloves of garlic inside it! We could only gasp and snicker at the idea of using it for communion.

Of course, we had nothing else and no time to go pick up some regalar bread, so we proceeded as if it was a normal thing, and it went over just fine. Most people noticed that it was a strong bread, but didn't seem to mind. Most actually were overheard saying "man, that was good bread". We even saw someone carting off with it to bring home!

This just proves one thing: even when you mess up something like this, God is still glorified.

Top 10 Guitarists

2005-05-31T17:21:00.000-07:00

Everybody's got an opinion, and if this blog is nothing else, it's to state my opinion on things. This a list of my top 10 guitarists, with some extras on the side. Feel free to agree/disagree as you please. I don't really care who you like.. if I did, then I'd put up a poll. Again, this is just my opinion. I refuse to rank them because it's just too stinkin hard! This is not an exhaustive list, just the ones that I have heard, and have been influenced in some way by. So, here they are:

Top Ten
(in alphabetical order):
Angus Young of AC/DC -- the dude just rocks!! plaid shorts and all

Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top -- diggin the beard and killer licks!

David Gilmour of Pink Floyd -- piercing riffs to my soul!

Eddie Van Halen -- the name says it all; did you know he played guitar on Michael Jackson's "Beat It"?

Eric Clapton of several bands, but best on his own

Joe Perry of Aerosmith -- as if you didn't know; ROCK'N'ROLL!

Jimi Hendrix -- impossible to compare

Kenny Wayne Shepherd -- soulful and inspiring riffs, the best of the blues genre alive

Slash of Guns'n'Roses and Velvet Revolver -- you know the songs rock; how does he see his guitar? maybe he doesn't have to...

Stevie Ray Vaughan -- r.i.p. dude... you rocked!

Honorable mentions:
Brian May of Queen
Carlos Santana of Santana
Chris DeGarmo of Queensryche (my all-time favorite band!)
Eric Johnson
Joe Satriani
Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin
Lenny Kravitz
Prince
Steve Vai

If there were any of these you don't know, shame on you! Google them or something.

Movie Review: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

2005-05-29T12:59:00.000-07:00

Well, in my latest edition of my commentary on one of my biggest hobbies, I dive into Star Wars Ep. 3. This movie, as many well know, has been a long time coming. I've always been a huge fan of Star Wars. I'm not the extreme, face-painting, dressing-up kinda fan, but it is fun to get into.

So, let's get down to it. First, I was very skeptical, as many were/are of Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker. I just don't think he had the right image or expectation of what I thought that he should look like (geez, his ridiculous hair style alone cost him). However, I did find that the character he showed had the necessary potential of turning to the dark side, as only Anakin could. I could see it building up, and I was hoping that his turn wasn't so blah. I mean, the scene where he saves Palpatine was crucial, but does that mean that he all of the sudden is gung-ho? Why does he go straight into killing like 15 jedi kids without thinking twice about it? I could justify that he was "so overtaken with fear over Padme's coming death" or "angry that the Jedi council 'betrayed' him", but there was no explanation. You kinda had to read into it. So, the scene was good, just the actual turn to the dark side seemed to abrupt.

Second, let's look at Padme'. Is this the same girl who was Queen of Naboo? The now seemingly meek motherly figure is a mere shadow of that character from episode 1 and some of 2. What's up with that? Was it the constant worry of Anakin? Who knows, but her abrupt character tranformation sucked.

Those are some pretty harsh criticisms, you might think, but there are some things I do like about it. Easily the scene where Anakin's legs and left arm are chopped off by Obi-Wan in their last encounter was breath-taking. His dark red eyes glowing while he was trying not to slide into the lava pit -- Obi-Wan's abandonment of his former apprentice -- Sweeeet.

Some other cool points -- Count Dooku's death (classic), Yoda going off on Palpatine (priceless), Palpatine's deformity (wicked), the double sunset with Owen and Beru holding young Luke (awesome), the two-second glance of Commander Tarkin (Governor/Grand Moff Tarkin in Episode 4), the starting of the Death Star (niiiice), and the emergence of the Darth Vader suit (justifably done).

Other sucky points -- Padme's death bed/stirrups, naming Luke and Leia in her dying breaths (dumb), seeing two seconds of Chewbacca (could've been way more), Anakin's lack of emotion besides his 'mean face' (underplayed), and Padme's character transition (lame).

So, overall: B- -- Good story, great action, cool scenes, but with details that needed help.

my arch rival

2005-05-23T14:24:00.000-07:00

All heroes have an arch rival. Someone who likes to do the opposite of what they want to do. Though I'm not much of a hero, I do have an arch rival. At work, I try to simply tape on something to a box to be shipped out. My enemy, the "tape gun" never quite likes to tear off at its given moment. It, instead, likes to pull more tape, thereby uselessly wraps most of the box that is well enough on its own. After that fiasco is over, the tape likes to fold over, sticking to the gun like it doesn't want to ever let go. Maybe it has some kind of love-bond with the brown plastic that gives it its power. Nevertheless, this sticking makes mehave to put down the box or whatever it is I wanted to tape up, and release the bond it has fixed onto the gun, so that I can over-tape another box. The rivalry begins... TO BE CONTINUED...

and the grades are in... parte dos

2005-05-19T13:25:00.000-07:00

last semester I posted my grades for the fall, so now I'm back once again to reveal the grades for the spring semester of 2005! And again, without further ado:

Marriage and Family Issues: A
Integrating Academics and Ministry: A
Music Theory II: A
New Testament Survey: B
________________________________________

Semester GPA: 3.75
Cumulative GPA: 2.89 (up from 2.67 last semester!)

WOO HOO!!! 2 down, and 6 more to go (counting summers)! Summer school starts Memorial Day! (If it seems I'm excited, I am... at least, that I have a two-week break from the vigors of school, but not so much that I have to go back so soon... gratefully, it's just a 2-week class).

big momma

2005-05-18T11:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, at work, they had me deliver some scaffolding pieces to a company, that wasn't far away. The delivery guy was out, so it was no problem. On the way out, I heard that it was a company doing construction on the set of "Big Momma's House 2". Yeah, I missed the original, but I thought it was cool to be on the set, even though it hadn't been finished.
The whole thing was raised up 5 or 6 feet high, and it was a huge maze! There was even a room that was completely encased by glass! It was fun to get to see it. If you have the chance, I recommend it.

baptism

2005-04-26T10:55:00.000-07:00

Growing up in a Southern Baptist church wasn't all that bad. I had great community, great friends, and learned a lot about God.

After being baptized for the 3rd time (the 1st, age 5; the 2nd, age 13 for the real thing, i think; the 3rd, age 17 for what, I dunno), it became kind of almost trivial. I know that I am following Jesus in obedience, as He was baptized by John (the Baptist, go figure). But I hadn't quite thought it out.

It wasn't until I realized that my wife, Jessica, had not been baptized as a believer. Yes, she made a public profession of faith at 12, but had only been baptized as an infant. So, the discussion came up at one of the membership classes at our new church: Destiny Place Church. I thought about my baptisms x3, and I remembered why I did it, and am glad I did. Jessica and I had had these discussions before, and after that class, she decided that it is important and needed to be done.

So, now here we are, this past Sunday, right after our first communion sunday at church, and we have a small baptistry downstairs where we have the church's second baptism service. We baptized four that day, one including Jessica. Going into this, as everyone is, she was nervous. I didn't realize how nervous I was until I got there and had the privilege of baptizing her myself. It was a beautiful experience that we shared together, as one in Christ. How many other husbands can say that they baptized their wives? I am happy to say that I did, and I am very proud of her!!

Heroes

2005-03-29T12:17:00.000-08:00

"...we could be heroes, but just for one day..." -- David Bowie

When I was a kid, I had my heroes. Superman, then Batman. G.I.Joe and He-Man. Youth ministers and pastors. Not that I longed to be like them, but looked up to them for their abilities beyond my own. I don't think I really have someone that I would call my hero. Maybe I'm too cynical, but it's not because I think that no one has an ability that I don't or couldn't have.

I'm not sure what it is, but I can think of people who possess traits that I wouldn't mind exlimplifying (sp?). Maybe they're heroes, maybe not. I admired Stevie Ray Vaughan (r.i.p.) for his amazing heart-inspiring and soulful guitar riffs. Dude, that man could wail.

I mentioned youth ministers and pastors. I have really come to learn a lot about how to handle situations and talking to people through watching these kinds of ministers at work. So, maybe in that way, they've been my heroes.

Whatever the definition of a hero is or isn't, the conclusion is the same. Everybody has people that they look up to and depend upon to make the right decisions, and doing things extraordinary. We may not know them personally, but those people are present in our minds, thoughts, and sometimes in our lives.

No moral or life-changing ideas, just some thoughts I had about it. Thanks, Drew, for the "blog idea".

3 is a holy number...

2005-03-17T07:26:00.001-08:00

...or something.

Tuesday marked the close of Jessica and I's 3rd year of marriage. The time has really flown by, and we've had some great times. We marked this special occasion by dining out, and renting a movie, as most couples do.

On a national scale, most would say that the honeymoon years are over for us, but such is not the case. We're even more in love now than when we started! Statistically, that is a triumph, as far as I'm concerned. How many couples can truly say that? I'm not sure, but if there was a record for the longest streak of "honeymoon years" then we'd be in the high running :) Woo-hoo!

collision of calamity

2005-03-01T06:37:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, I'm sure you're wondering... "Man, he never posts." That's ok b/c I think Jessica covers most of the stuff that happens with us, and that's cool b/c my time is limited to work, class, homework, time with Jessica and Coca (not necessarily in that order). Anyway, I did feel the need to inform everyone of 48-hour jinx. No, I don't really believe that's the case, but I can see how someone could argue it.

It started Sunday morning, as I was helping to get things ready for service at church. There was a mix-up in the coffee maker, and it started to majorly overflow. Being the hero I am, I went after it, and held a cup under the spout to catch the remaining overflow. I just happened to have touched the filter, which also was overflowing, and splashed my hand, burning me intensely. I have the marks to prove it.

After I got home that morning, I put some oil in Jessica's car, which slowly leaks of this oil. I put the remaining quart that we had in, and went on my way to Zachary to pick her up. Wouldn't you know that I forgot to put the oil cap back on, and it ended up spitting and spraying oil all over the inside of the hood, which ultimately got into the ventilation system. So, the whole ride home was spent smelling the refreshing scent of burned oil. How nice.

Also, on the way home, it started to rain. So, let's see, what happens to the Capertons every time it rains? Something goes wrong with the windshield wipers. Sunday night was no exception. It was misting on us, so we put on the good 'ol wipers like anyone else would. Unfortunately, the wiper's arm just had enough of the blade that it was holding and decided to throw it off into oblivion! That's right, it just flew off the car! So, of course, we had to stop b/c we couldn't see anything. Thankfully, it was on the passenger side. So, we got out, and while trying to balance holding the dog, we replaced the blade with a freshly washed sock. We tied it off as tight as we could, so that the arm wouldn't scratch or crack the windshield any more than it already is.

Finally, this was the kicker. Yesterday, at work, things were going ok until I decided to take one of the Budget trucks to a nearby business. I didn't get 200 feet away when I tried to squeeze between an oncoming truck and the parked Budget truck along the street, where I smashed the parked truck's small rear-view mirror with my own. How fun. It ended up ok b/c we had spare parts and I didn't have to pay anything.

I shudder to think what could happen today, but thankfully I'm at school all day. And so far, I've even had 2 classes cancelled this week. So far so good! If you pray, pray for me that nothing will happen to me that won't make me go tragically insane. Thank you!

...and the grades are in!

2005-01-27T07:05:00.000-08:00

Since the end of my first semester here at Leavell College (NOBTS), I've been waiting and waiting for my grades to show up, so I can show God's glory in the work He has done through my schooling so far. So, with no further ado, here they are:

Hermeneutics = A
Intro to Christian Education = A
Basics in Christian Rhetoric = A
Music Theory I = B
_______________________________________
Semester Average = 3.75
Cumulative Average at UL = 2.05
Cumulative Average now = 2.67 (and rising!)

God gets all the credit (no pun intended).

bliss

2005-01-24T17:55:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's amazing when things come together. Last Thursday, I was able to buy, after saving money and a generous Christmas gift, a brand new acoustic guitar, as seen in my earlier post. Of course, now I have to get down to Lafayette to pick it up, but the fun, of course doesn't stop there! Last week, we put down on a double (house) out in Metairie to rent, so we'll be on our own! Woo-hoo! It'll be nice to have the comforts of home: having our computer back, no cable tv, no couch to watch our no-cable tv, and just some good 'ol time to ourselves. We've enjoyed our time with Jessica's grandparents, who have graciously bestowed their living space upon us for the past few months.

So, we move in on Friday, all three of us. Yeah, I said 3! It's a... dog! Jessica is in that process of which should come to fruition shortly. She's very excited, as you may have noticed here.

Anyway, we couldn't be happier. It'll either make you want to celebrate with us or punch us. Either way, we're happy :)

Masquerade!

2005-01-09T17:45:00.000-08:00

It's been a few years now since I've seen The Phantom of the Opera on stage. For weeks after watching it the first time on broadway in New York City, I had a couple of my favorite tunes from the soundtrack in my head, with visions of myself as the Phantom. I can say "been there, done that, bought the t-shirt" quite literally, and twice!

A couple of months ago, I happened across a teaser trailer for the now released movie adaptation. The chills I experienced and remembered quite well, came back to me instantly, and I've been humming its tunes off and on since. Tonight, I got my chance to experience the magic once again. "Magic, you say?" Abso-freakin-lutely!!
For the last 24 hours I haven't been able to get the song "Masquerade" out of my head. I'm even humming it now! My soul was ready for this, and had been for awhile.

So, the movie unfolded. Every line, every note, and every word was sucked in like a vaccuum in my head and heart. You may think that I've gone overboard with this, and maybe I have... so what? It's just that good!

Anyway, the movie was fantastic! Scenery was incredible! The cast did a great job, and I was impressed with most of their voices. The Phantom himself vocally was ok, but I thought he could've been stronger. Visually, aside from the great makeup FX done for the face distortion, I expected the actor to be more... how do you say... ah yes... masculine? Not sure if that was right, but nevertheless, he did an ok job.

For those of you that have seen it... is it me or has Raoul always look like such a doof? Maybe this time it was his hair (not bashing long hair because that would just be criticizing my own kind) or something else, but every time his character is shown, he's never anyone that I would root for. Maybe it's because the Phantom is just so frickin cool!

So all of that to say, I loved the movie! Go see it! You'll thank me for it! I gave it an A all around! Great job Joel Schumacher!

interesting read

2005-01-07T14:14:00.000-08:00

I came upon this article from a lady at work, and thought it was a good short read. Here's the link. Let me know what you think.

my wife, the popular one

2004-12-28T16:04:00.000-08:00

I've come to learn something over the Christmas season. My wife has the biggest fan base concerning her blog. I'm truly amazed. If you're one of the unlucky few to not have read hers, then click here . For those of you that have, did you know that you frequent such a popular place? Unbelievable... dude.

ridonkulous

2004-12-16T15:05:00.000-08:00

I'm not much of a fan of reality tv. I get reality everywhere I go, why would I want it on tv? Anyway, there's this one reality show, WifeSwap, I think, on one of those major networks. The premise is that you take 2 wives of different norms, and put them in each other's families for 2 weeks just to see what would happen. This particular week, there was a switch of a wife from a super laid-back, leather jacket wearing, messy house-having, rebel family switched with a fundamentalist Christian. Each wife had to do things the family's way for one week, and the next week, the wives could impose their rules upon the house. It was interesting to see how flexible the Christian wife got to be with the rebel family, and how they warmed up to her. It was also interesting to see that, even though there was plenty of resistance to her rules, the children didn't seem to mind the outcome, and even the father liked some of what she did. However, the rebel wife did not get such a treatment. She did warm up to the kids, of course because she didn't make them do anything. But, here comes the surge behind my angst. The Christian father/husband dude was all about making the "new wife" do all the same things his wife did, and having everything go his way. When she fell out of line or didn't do things exactly his way, he flew off the handle. He apparently was used to having his way or the highway. He did not let up on any of his rules, and sat back and pouted like a 2 year old. In the final interview, he was called out on it by everyone else, and he not only did not defend himself, but just left the interview, case closed. The only thing I could think was, "If I wasn't a Christian, and this is the only way I saw Christianity protrayed, then I wouldn't want any part of it. If being a Christian is being so uptight and uncompromising about anything, then they can have it." What do you think?

The longing for acousticness

2004-12-13T14:32:00.000-08:00

For those of you who have seen my need for a new acoustic guitar, I think I've found my match. Working my way up to this rather pricy version of acoustic perfection has not been easy, but the light at the end of the tunnel is now visible!
I have been very happy with my Yamaha for the past 10 years, but for live performing, I would need something with just a touch more depth. So, here is the goal for which I must achieve:

Now you see, soon you will hear.

The Forgotten

2004-11-16T07:17:00.000-08:00

Now we move on to the next draft of alien movies, with not so much alien. While the big pull may have been Julianne Moore to most people, I was intrigued with the whole mystery of the preview. Before I move into the movie itself, may I say that previews should be just that... a preview. A way for us to see what this movie could possibly be about without giving away the depth of the story, the dramatic ending or the dynamics of the character. It unnerves me to no end when previews/commercials for movies and/or tv shows show in 30 seconds what it actually gets down to in its presentation. Why would I want to see a movie that you've basically just shown me already?

The preview for this movie, The Forgotten, intrigued me because it gave notice to only a couple of things that was confusing the character, which confused the audience, taking you in as a part of the movie. That is exactly what a preview should do. Not give away the whole thing.

So I digress into written rhetoric about this flick. I was hoping that it would be scarier than it turned out to be, but it wasn't. There were a few shockers or intense 3-second moments, but they were few and far between. So, if you even think that it's one of those "too scary to see" movies, you'd be wrong.

The plight of a mother's fight for her son gets increasingly interesting as to the absurdity of others chasing her for no apparent reason, other than they think she might be a little nuts. It keeps your attention because you're all the while thinking, "Will she ever get her son back?" "Is she really nuts?" and "Whoa, that was cool."

The revelation of the mystery behind everything, and its ending were well-thought out and you leave feeling happy and satisfied. What more could you ask for in a movie?

Story = A- Scary = C Intensity = B+ Mystery = A Dialogue = B-

This thing called fear

2004-10-26T07:14:00.000-07:00

Since I got enough attention from my last movie review, I thought I'd give it another go.
I've seen many scary movies in my day... too many to count. In the last few years, this genre has moved away from the slasher films, which has its own value, and moved toward the psychological way of scaring its viewers. With movies like The Ring and the new movie, Saw, we can see this transition. Not that the good 'ol slasher films aren't still around, but are not quite in the mainstream.
The movie I'm about to rant about is probably something you won't see, but if you have, kudos. This flick of choice is The Grudge. One word: 'wow'. In an overview, this movie is deeply intense. The underlying story is that where there is a horrible murder influenced by rage, there is a curse that springs forth, and stays at the place where it was birthed. The catch is: once you become a part of it, it will never stop until you are dead.
Normally with movies like this, there's no real plot, besides the fact that the house is "haunted". The creators are just in it for shock effect in the audience. Not true for this story. There is a mystery to the events leading up to the curse, and no security in predictability. It keeps you guessing the whole way through, and continues to make you jump out of your pants.
Skeptics may say that since it's in a theater, with the music so loud and people around you building up the suspense, that you probably could go without being scared if you rented it when it came out on DVD. I defy anyone who is not scared at all by this movie. Go ahead and wait for it on DVD at Blockbuster or wherever you get you movies from. If you don't soil yourself three or four times during the movie, you'll continually hear the distinct sound that the creepy ghost/monster makes throughout the movie as you go down the hall to your bedroom, and lie awake in bed. Sweet dreams!
Rating: A+ for scariness, A for plot, B for actors/casting, A+ for ghost/monster creepiness.

In Review

2004-10-18T18:20:00.000-07:00

I've never been a fan of movie critics. Seems to me that it's only critically acclaimed if it's this tear-jerking drama about life as we will never know it. They are in love with Disney movies, good, bad and ugly. If it's action... tsk.. please, it just might get a decent rating, if enough people believe in the hype.

So, I take this time to review a movie I've seen recently. Not as a critic, but as a movie fan. The movie for this entry will be for the "Butterfly Effect". If you didn't see the movie, go see it before you read any further! For those of you that watched, what did you think? Did Ashton Kutcher prove that he can act past the words "dude" and "sweet"? Would this suspense-thriller prove worthy of a fan-base? All this and more! Keep reading...

I love the idea of being able to go back in time within your mind and relive, even change, the not-so-good aspects. That's always fun to roll around in your imagination. What would you change about your life if you could go back? How much would it change your surroundings? Would you end up with more money? Would you end up with a different mate than you have now? I'm not sure what your answer is, but I am sure that I wouldn't change anything because I might not be the person I've grown to be. For better or worse, I trust that God knew what He was doing all this time, even if I didn't.

Now, would somebody please tell me who thought it was "in" to kill yourself? In entertainment, people seem to remember you better than you were, and maybe even get more famous. But, in reality, you're probably worse off than you were before, not to mention eternal consequences. The real question is: Is that the answer? In the case of this movie, Kutcher's character felt like he needed to just end the madness that he had created, and everyone else would be happier. Kayleigh, his love interest, married someone else. His friends grew up to be decent people. His mom was sent sobbing forever over the loss of another baby. Even by killing himself, he still couldn't solve all the problems.

Maybe I'm reading too much into this movie, but I find it hard to believe that the screenwriter, director and/or producer had no idea what implications they were making in this film. Nevertheless, the bottom line is this: A for creativity; A for plot; A for casting; A for special effects; C- for the ending. Questions, class?

October edition 1

2004-10-06T16:58:00.000-07:00

October is a good month. Football's in full swing. The weather is cooling (finally), and baseball is finally over. Good riddance! About half-way through the semester, which is going well. 3 tests this week, and again 3 more next week. Not to mention, 2 biblical background papers. Laissez les bon temps roulez!

My favorite part about October is toward the end of the month -- Halloween! I don't know what it is about this season. Maybe it's the mystery mixed with the full moon. And some years, it gets interesting when there's a full moon on Friday October 13th. My imagination seems to run wild and I get my fill of the latest horror, thriller or sci-fi movies. If you're interested in these types of movies, like me, check out: Fangoria, movies.com, Resident Evil 2, The Grudge, Blade: Trinity, and The Forgotten.

movies

2004-09-30T07:38:00.000-07:00

If anyone knows me at all, they know that I love movies. I could probably sit around all day, watching movies, maybe vegging a bit, and be the happiest man on the planet. I also like talking about movies with people, to get their views on what they think the movie was about, on deep levels as well as shallow ones. It doesn't matter to me, if it's a movie worth watching, or even if I haven't seen the movie, I'm up for chatting about it or apparently posting about it.

I do have some rules for watching movies. 1= Don't expect it to be real. There is not some hidden camera like on Big Brother that watches everyone's every move. There is someone that has written a script, made up the story, and have actors who have probably never been in this situation. I hate it when people say, "I just watched Van Helsing, and I didn't like it because when the flying wives of Dracula kept talking while trying to kill Kate Beckinsale. I would have just killed her. It was stupid." I always want to come back with "Hey moron, it's a movie! At what point past the vampires, Frankenstein's monster, and the wolfman did it become unbelievable or ridiculous to you?"

rule 2 = make sure you hit the bathroom before hand. There's nothing like having to pee in the middle of the movie's climax. rule 3 = turn off your cell phone, and for sure, don't answer it! I'm sure there might be 1 chance out of 5000 that it's an emergency. So, live it in your pocket or give it to me so I can smash it.

rule 4 = don't guess what is going to happen next. Enjoy it, even though it may not surprise you. If all the entertainment is in the surprise, put your brain on hold for a minute. Save the thinking for afterward. finally rule 5 = Enjoy the movie. There are tons of movies out there, all with different intentions as to the mood. If it's a love story, feel the love. If it's a scary movie, it's ok to be scared and jump. If you think it's bound to have a happy ending, don't get disappointed if the hero dies.

If these rules don't satisfy your need to trash every movie you see, then get off my blog. I hope at least your entertainment value was touched.

geese on the attack

2004-09-29T15:58:00.000-07:00

After school on Tuesday, my long day, Jessica had a cool idea to feed the ducks at Lafrieniere Park. The last time we went there, the ducks and geese seemed to be stuck up, implying they were full or had no use for mere bread. This time, however, nobody seemed to have fed them that day because once they saw us, with our bright yellow Sunbeam bread bag, they immediately darted after us, and I know I heard one of them say "Aflac!" We proceeded to toss out bits of bread, hoping to please as many geese as we could. Feathers flapped and flew about as they fought over who got the biggest piece of bread. We kept our distance from them, hoping they wouldn't snap at our hands, trying to get another piece or two. So, we speed-fed them and rushed off, as we noticed more of them heading our way.

Also, the last time we went to the park, instead of feeding the snobbish geese and ducks who were too good for our bread, we fed a herd of cranes that were squawking and jockeying for position on some kind of swamp tree, with some looking for food in the water. This time, there were mostly in the trees, less interested in our offerings, until we threw down our first piece. They seemed to swarm as we laughed and threw the rest of the bread we had. Then, they started to fly away, and we wondered why until we saw the biggert nutria known to man. If you are unfamiliar, these are water rats, indiginous to south Louisiana. They look like smaller beavers with a rat's head and tail. Quite disgusting, but tasty to some smaller parts of the area. This fiend bogarted what was left of the bread in the water. Guess he showed them. We have a new champion of the swamp!

Jessica

2004-09-28T17:41:00.000-07:00

this is Jessica's, my wife, blog. Enjoy!

full weather jacket

2004-09-28T09:25:00.000-07:00

Yeah, so we're on our way to Lafayette this past weekend to see my brother's family, and it's late, as we mosey on down the boring existence known as Interstate 10. Wouldn't ya know it, it starts to fog... and then rains... and then rains harder until we see nothing but splashes of water from every angle, as our windshield wipers are moving at mach 10. So, with just less than 3 miles from our exit, all hope of making it to Lafayette fell before our eyes as the driver's side windshield wiper came off its arm. Woo hoo! Are we having fun yet??

So, as a good husband would do, I persuaded my lovely bride to pull over to the shoulder. Her fears of getting hit by oncoming traffic and monstrous 18-wheelers allowed me to take the wheel from the passenger side, and darting us to the shoulder. After calming my wife, I left the vehicle to perform the balancing act of fixing the windshield wiper while holding an umbrella in winds and gusts of approximately 25 mph. Dude. It didn't take long and before we knew it, we reached our exit, just in time for the rain to clear up. Oh, the humanity.

slow start

2004-09-23T07:35:00.000-07:00

Well, I've obviously come to a slow start, having "started" with this months ago. Anyway, an update. I'm attending Leavell College, the undergraduate program under New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. I am in my first semester, majoring in Christian ministry with a minor/concentration in music. To those that know me, this is no big surprise. Anway, we're a little over a month into the semester, and things seem to be going well.

We are, as in my wife and I, living with Jessica's grandparents in Metairie, a suburb of N.O., and are in the process of finding jobs, etc. I have one currently, but even that may change soon enough. I hear Guitar Center calling my name!

Anyway, school is very eye-opening.... yes, even at a Baptist college. Amazingly enough, most of the material, if not all, is not one-sided to their traditional backgrounds. I was happy to have found that the many aspects of the church as we know it, or may not know it, being explored and taught as possibilities here.

In an attempt to keep boredom to a minimum, I'll save more of this intriguing information, unless you post questions. Anyway, adieu.