tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116939162026-04-13T14:54:20.524-04:00Putting the "blah" in "blogging" since 2009.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11693916.post-68829415974418251242012-02-02T18:24:00.000-05:002012-02-03T21:09:49.273-05:00

I've become engrossed in the presidential race.  Not the candidates, really, but the way campaigns are run.  I find myself fascinated by all the rules and the strategies and the analysis of the debates and primary results.  It's so entertaining that I have to remind myself that this is actually a process to select the leader of our country, and that I am responsible for

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11693916.post-10395909010948439032012-01-08T18:04:00.002-05:002012-01-12T09:31:58.358-05:00

Malcolm Gladwell's recent compilation What the Dog Saw includes a 2008 article examining what he calls "the quarterback problem."  This phenomenon refers to the difficulty NFL scouts have predicting which college quarterbacks are most capable of succeding at the professional level.  Quarterbacking is so different between college and the pros--more drastically than is the case for any

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11693916.post-83898961050572572832011-12-30T20:01:00.002-05:002011-12-30T22:46:52.084-05:00

Comedian Brian Regan recently posed an interesting question:  How does one compose a thank-you note for gifts given to charity (rather than the recipient)?  In other words, if you receive one of those, "In lieu of a gift, we have made a donation in your name to [the human fund]" cards, what is the best way to respond to the giver? In Regan's case, the contribution in lieu of a gift was

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11693916.post-34863391049819403312011-12-26T16:25:00.003-05:002011-12-28T12:22:45.586-05:00

Ever since I attended one of their concerts several Decembers ago, Trans-Siberian Orchestra has been one of my favorite associations with Christmas.  I’m a sucker for rock/orchestra fusion, and the modernized carols for which TSO is best known make the season feel like Christmas to me more than any other music can.  This is useful for getting into the holiday spirit, since I currently

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11693916.post-69244006954882260192010-10-02T17:52:00.004-04:002011-12-22T08:30:01.822-05:00

One year while I was in graduate school, I served as the literary editor for the campus student magazine. My job was to review student-submitted poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction and select the few best to publish. After several months of enduring vomit-inducing drivel, I tried to energize the campus literary talent by having a “flash fiction” contest. Flash fiction is a

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11693916.post-38670774248196663532010-10-01T16:46:00.004-04:002011-12-22T08:31:13.785-05:00

Attention all would-be storytellers: NaNoWriMo begins in just one month. Don’t be caught unprepared. What’s NaNoWriMo, you ask? Why, it’s National Novel Writing Month, of course. Granted, if you feel so inclined, you may begin writing whenever you want. However, as I understand it, that’d be cheating. National Novel Writing Month—which, oddly enough, is no more difficult to spell out in

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11693916.post-7331539590216749612010-06-21T20:43:00.002-04:002011-12-22T08:32:30.877-05:00

YES!!! Although I'm sure it comes as no surprise to anyone--since, if you read this blog, you probably know me--it gives me great pleasure to announce that G-Pa is officially off the market. For good. I proposed to a certain lovely young lady (LYL) recently, and, oddly enough, she said yes. I know. I almost couldn't believe it, either. But she did. And it's AWESOME!! Enough to make a

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11693916.post-46873464580510509132009-12-21T14:22:00.006-05:002010-01-26T10:06:27.952-05:00

Foreign language was my Achilles' heel in high school—to the point I began to come up with excuses to opt out of the class. Just before the first test in my ninth grade French class, I told the teacher that the school's foreign language requirement was against my religion. I explained that Man had tried to build the Tower of Babel, a challenge to God's superiority, and the LORD promptly

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11693916.post-23212566570578574842009-12-10T16:21:00.003-05:002009-12-15T22:36:51.737-05:00

Yes, I'm back.Though tempting, I will not make excuses. Of course, if you'd spent the last four months trying to juggle a full-time job, part-time graduate school, and spending whatever time possible with a certain young lady who's a lot of fun--you'd be tempted to make excuses, too, for why you'd abandoned your blog. Those three items have pretty much been all I've had time for since August.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11693916.post-24072698693605787922009-07-31T14:55:00.010-04:002009-07-31T16:19:56.051-04:00

Next weekend, the singles class at my church is having a murder mystery dinner, which can best be described as a live-action version of the game Clue. Everyone attending gets the profile of character they must play. Once at the dinner, you find further instructions about which other characters you should talk to, specific information you must provide if asked, and pieces of evidence to keep an

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11693916.post-37647813797570900132009-07-27T16:51:00.005-04:002009-07-27T16:58:15.282-04:00

I'm tempted to claim my long delay between posts was a marketing stunt. It’s not unheard of for some writers/artists/musicians to disappear from the public spotlight in order to fuel speculation and, hopefully, ramp up anticipation for their next release. No, that’s not it. I'd just alienate the few loyal readers I have (or had?).Nor can I attribute my procrastination to my July 4th weekend

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11693916.post-2238165422757549792009-06-04T09:55:00.002-04:002009-06-04T10:00:14.098-04:00

It's impossible to plagiarize yourself, right? I just felt like posting.I don't spend much time in bars, but the occasional jaunt to a local watering hole for karaoke with friends is usually a good time--never mind the fact that singing in public to an intoxicated audience once held the spot just below "self immolation" on my list of top ways to ruin a perfectly good evening. Still, it's fun to

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11693916.post-8341895239068306212009-04-07T22:04:00.005-04:002009-04-07T22:19:10.850-04:00

All good things must come to an end. Life goes on. Insert bland maxim here. As the long-standing housing situation breaks up and we each go our separate ways, I thought it only fitting to commemorate the time spent together by revisiting a tale from months back--a typical day at the Trace.Friday afternoon5:53pm"The Trace"Ben: Whew! Another day of non-stop excitement at the bureaucracy office in

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11693916.post-4435037517496151202009-04-01T12:57:00.008-04:002009-04-01T16:50:00.083-04:00

It should have been evident long before now: There is an abysmal lack of Dairy Queens where I live. I learned this when a recent trip out of state required a detour to address weather/visibility issues. Long story.Actually, no. It’s not. We couldn’t see the road. That’s the story.At any rate, the unscheduled stop passed a Dairy Queen, whose distinctive red and white sign apparently can have

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11693916.post-83541320294236629122009-02-23T23:47:00.000-05:002009-02-24T10:40:30.037-05:00

Lent starts this week, so I thought it only fitting to revisit an adventure in self-denial. (Note: This blog was originally posted almost two years ago. I'm happy to report that Jay successfully made it through the ordeal with minimal psychological fracturing.)Those who look for Jay online may have a hard time finding him after next week. He will be giving up his computer—outside of

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11693916.post-7894182466134113992009-02-16T18:56:00.000-05:002009-02-17T20:55:44.425-05:00

My friend Will recently sent me a link to this clip. It's taken from a video blog produced by Penn Gillette, the audible half of the comedy/illusion performing duo Penn & Teller. Take a look.This is a startling clip for a number of reasons. First, Penn isn't merely a skeptic. He's an opponent of organized religion in general. Go to youtube and search for “Penn Teller Bible.” In addition to

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11693916.post-48448843406244343052009-01-21T15:45:00.000-05:002009-01-21T15:56:12.714-05:00

A new year is an opportunity for a fresh start: resolutions, goals for improving self, and sundry other well-intentioned promises that we have no better chance of keeping than had we made them in mid-July. Personally, I’d rather avoid making resolutions altogether than make one I don’t trust myself to keep. However, I think this is a proper chance for me to “resolve” some mistakes from the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11693916.post-57667684405183182082009-01-09T11:22:00.000-05:002009-01-09T11:35:31.401-05:00

Where some might start with an introduction, I feel compelled to issue a word of caution. And though it's tempting to go with a those-who-look-for-meaning-will-be-shot-style warning, I'll forego ripping off Twain--for once. This blog is nothing more than my own observations from attempting, and often failing, to walk in God's will. This is not intended to be any more educational than one man's

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0