17 Days O’ Death

I’ve been a little slack on the old blog this week, primarily because the real world has been pretty busy as of late. And in case you were curious as to what could possibly occupy my time to the point that I’m going to barely hit my New Years Resolution Goal this week, here it is – in convenient punch list form.

- We kicked of our Spring semester of Young Life this past Tuesday… and it was awesome. Northwestern Young Life has bouced back like a champ this year, and its been a privilege to be a part of it. We’re also are having a few waves roll through our volunteer leadership. Nothing permanent, but plenty tough. We’ll make it through and we’ll better for it. Plus I think the majority of the storms have passed, and God is still and always good.

- We’re getting psyched slash prepared to have ex-Mob Boss Michael Franzese come speak at Elevation this coming Sunday. He’s got an incredible story, and at one point, had an incredible moustache.

Side note: My roommate Josh still stands by the fact that it should be a sin to design and brand a whole series based on the mafia, without actually having seen the Godfather. According to Lois, its the perfect movie.

- Elevation’s two-year anniversary is February 10th and we’re pulling out all the stops – backstage passes, commerative DVDs, baptisms, concert/CD recording… and some thing called a hazer. I’m not sure what that is. I think its that electrocutor cops use on unruly citizens… but I could be convinced otherwise.

- The week after that, we’re rolling right into My Generation, a huge series about impacting your generation, no matter your stage in life. It’s gonna be great. That same week, the whole staff is taking off to Texas for the C3 Conference… and yes, I’m well aware that I’m knocking out those New Years Resolutions like Cassius Clay. Down goes Frazier.

But in order for all this to go down, the CS4 has got to make it through what Larry has affectionately deemed the “17 Days O’ Death” – today, was Day 15. And so far, we’re doing pretty good – but we have a long way to go. And it helps when you get to recharge with a hot lady and Bleu Cheese Burger from Red Robin. Oh man, oh man… Tasty.

Thumb Blast: The End of An Era

The culprits…

The Brethren…

The Aftershock…

The Toast of Champions… (p.s. Wade doesn’t look so hot…)

Mark it down. January 24, 2008. It’s over. The Brethren that is the Thumb Blast Club has reached it’s Mount Everest. Thumb Blast Club? Mount Everest?
What am I talking about? Let me recount the tale.

Earlier this year, I mentioned that I had been spending too much time at Firehouse Subs. Well, even with all those lunches, I never really gave much notice to the firing squad of hot sauces that lined the counter top. Until that one fateful day when my favorite Asian slash boss, Larry, and I were minding our own business, enjoying our subs, when the manager of Firehouse wandered over with two toothpicks and an unassuming bottle labeled 357 Mad Dog, with this nice little cartoon dog, smiling with a chef hat on. Mr. Firehouse asked us if we like hot sauce, and then told us just to hit the tip of the toothpick with the sauce and the quickly dab our tongue with it. And that’s when it all begin. You see, hot sauces are measured in scoville units. Never heard of them? Neither had we until we did a little research. Apparently the world has gotten too good for the ‘Mild’ and ‘Hot’ that I grew up on. From Wikipedia: “The Scoville scale is a measure of the hotness or, more correctly, piquancy of a chili pepper. These fruits of the Capsicum genus contain capsaicin, a chemical compound which stimulates chemoreceptor nerve endings in the skin, especially the mucous membranes. The number of Scoville heat units (SHU) indicates the amount of capsaicin present. Jalepenos rank somewhere between 2,500 and 8,000 scoville units. Mad Dog tops in at 357,000 scoville units” Blah blah blah. Firehouse simplifies it for you – they just write numbers on the tops of the hot sauces ranking from 3 to 10+++. And 357 is a 10+++.

But it wasn’t until the next time a few of the guys from work and I were at Firehouse, that we developed the thumb blast (a subject Larry blogged about earlier this week, so you can read the description there) and dove head first into the fire by thumb blasting Da Bomb, the second hottest sauce at Firehouse (119,700 scoville units). Shortly thereafter, Spencer threw up.

It then spread like chicken pox – soon, a small clan of Da Bomb Thumb-Blasters existed, and its popularity became so renown that it was made a part of the Elevation Church Staff New Hire Initiation Challenge – don’t ask, unless you’re asking Larry Brey. That pretty much brings you up to speed to today. The blame of who it falls on it still fuzzy, but most agree that it was Wes or Wade. Either way, there we were, thumb blasting our way into the history books (following Jeremy’s lead a few weeks prior…) with the sauce that Hot Sauce World.com calls it’s hottest available hot sauce, and one of the worlds hottest sauces. The pain falls somewhere between a tattoo on your tongue and losing a finger to a band saw, but you can’t fully understand it unless you do it yourself – so go find your local Firehouse subs, find the 10+++ and join us in Hot Sauce Nirvana. And don’t touch your eye.

A Free-For-All with a Catchy Beat

It’s been a while since we’ve had a good Free-For-All, and even though John says he’d read my blog more if my posts weren’t so long, I’m stubborn and he’s lazy so the penalties offset. I now present the first Free-For-All of ‘08 – complete with a little song and dance number.

Three Steps from Me to the Boss:

A little over a year ago, my friend JT (who is marrying one of my best friends, Julie, in April), put together this wicked music video for My Body is a Cage, the last track on The Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible masterpiece. Almost instantly, it blew up on YouTube, and eventually received kudos from some high places (Stereogum, Yahoo, etc.), including making Pitchfork’s Top 50 Music Videos of 2007. Fast forward to the November issue of SPIN. The cover story talks of a much-anticipated meeting between Bruce Springsteen and Win Butler of the Arcade Fire – a meeting of past legends and future visionaries (ok, that may be a little over dramatic, but my opinion of both these guys is seen though rose-colored blinders…). And what is the first thing The Boss talks to Butler about? And I quote: “..when [Bruce] greets Butler and Chassagne after soundcheck, the first thing he mentions is the fan-made YouTube clip for their song “My Body Is a Cage,” set to scenes from Once Upon a Time in the West.” So, there you have it: Me > JT > Arcade Fire > The Boss – we might as well be sending each other Christmas Cards. And while you stew in your jealousy, watch the video – it seriously is incredible and moving every time I watch it. Great job JT.

Most Likely to Be a Highly Desired, But Infrequently Posted, Music Blog:
Larry Brey is the Leadership Development Pastor at Elevation Church – and he has many outstanding qualities. You’ll be hard pressed to find anyone more encouraging, out-going and genuinely excited about their job than him. With all that said though, he does not have what many would consider to be an “active finger of the pulse of pop culture” (go ahead, ask him about that tweed Promise Keepers shirt he rocks…). Which is why I wait with such anticipation for every post he makes to Get Lost in Music – a not-so-oftenly (ofently?) posted music review blog inspired by 80’s rock mix tapes and The Black Bond. I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect when I asked him to review one of the most well-received albums of ‘07 – Feist’s The Reminder – and while I may not agree with his critical voice, his review is both thorough and well-written. Let’s just hope his ear improves as his posts increase. Check it out for yourself here.

The Definitive Answer to Problems Napster Started 10 years Ago:
Sure the RIAA can try to scare you away from your LimeWire and your .torrent sites with their gafillion dollar lawsuits, but why not ask music fans to give back directly to the artists whose music they may have obtained illegally, but still thoroughly enjoy. Cue Dear Rockers – a website with a vision of helping music lovers thank musicians for their work. How does it work? Its simple – 1. Pick and Artist, 2. Write them a letter – of thanks or apology or both, and with it, include $5. Why $5? Well that’s simple too. From their site: “When you buy songs from the iTunes music store, artists make 8 to 14 cents per song, depending on their contract. So $5 represents about three albums worth of income for an artist. We encourage you to support musicians in other ways, like attending their live shows, but five bucks seems like a good place to start.” They’ll even help you find the address. Nobility has no middle man.

Psst. Rumor has it that Larry H will be sending a note of thanks and some pocket change to Fergie. I’m not saying, I’m just saying…

The Current Heavy Rotation:
Here’s some hot jams to get you though the stupidness that is the winter months – they’re the musical equivalent to worn in socks – not new, but warm and comfortable. Enjoy.
- Feist – ‘Sealion (Chromeo Remix)’ - what this song would have sounded like in ‘87
- Stars – In Our Bedroom After the War - this came out this summer and it’s just now hitting it’s stride in my playlist. And that’s a shame.
- Bruce Springsteen – ‘Waiting On A Sunny Day’ – Warm American Rock has never been sung more literally than in my car at 7:30 a.m. and 21 degrees.
- Damien Rice – ‘Coconut Skins’ – as sing-a-long as he gets, it’ll help you keep a steady step when you’re walking in the cold.
- Denison Witmer – ‘The 80’s’, ‘Los Angeles’ - practically begs to be the soundtrack of Sunday afternoons under blankets.

And that’s all he wrote. Soundtrack of this Free-For-All available from Time Life.

Nearly 1K Fun Run

Water station? Check. Numbers? Check. Bootleg cap gun? Check. Commemorative Hoodie? Check.  18 mildly to completely out of shape runners (except John, Joel & Meredith)? Check. And the race is on. This past Monday we had our first annual Nearly 1K Fun Run – a creative offspring from the genius that is CS4. And in case you weren’t aware, this blogger has a little running history on his side. Back in high school, I was part of 3 state champion cross country teams (they went on to win 11 straight…) and also a top 5 finisher in the mile my senior year. But that glorious senior year was 7 glorious years ago – and I’m almost positive I have retained little to none of whatever it was that made me a good runner in high school. So how did I do? I’m happy to say I won the silronze (or brilver… I don’t know, whatever the mixed medal would be for the 2nd/3rd place tie Joel and I had…) but it didn’t matter because I was wheezing and cramping up like a champ – did I mention it was only a 1K? Yeah, thats approximately half a mile. I’m pathetically out of shape… but hey, at least I have something to build on. If nothing else, I can count this race as one of my three for 2008 – only if another one I had planned to do falls through because of illness or natural disaster. Its kind of like that Tech school that was your ’safety college’ in case you didn’t get in to that fancy one out of state. Anyway, here’s a few hot pics from the event.

the logo…

medieval serf caps are the new Under Armour…

the stache…

the starting line…

the sprint…

the winner…

the tie…

the cheaters…

the demise of CS4…

And yes, I am painfully aware of my physical similarities to one Michael Cera in Juno.
Thank you.

Mini Mafia

Larry, Phillip & Wade.  And the tall, lanky fella in the back is yours truly – the strong, silent type.  This is how we did announcements this week.  Just one of the reasons why my job is better than yours.

50 Weeks of New Years Resolutions

I’m official beginning my New Year’s Resolutions for 2008 – two weeks into 2008. Yeah they’re late, but they’re worth it. And with it being 2008, why not do 8?

1. Read at least 12 books… thats one a month – and there are at least 12 books I want to read right now so this shouldn’t be a problem. Shouldn’t is the neon word in this sentence.

2. Have at least 6 new experiences worth telling about… I usually make some sort of travel-related new year’s resolution every year… and I never go as far as I want with that one, so now I’m not going to limit it to a distance, but rather instead make it qualifiable – is that even a word? I don’t think so.

3. Run 3 races… I liked this one last year, and I wasted it – so I’m going to try it again. And I don’t want to just run 5Ks – maybe a 10K, maybe a half-marathon – I don’t know… its amazing how ambitious people are in January.

4. Make my bed every day… again one from last year – and the year before that, for that matter – and its a good one. You should do it too – there is something fufiling and comforting about pulling sheets back to reveal a welcoming bed, rather than having to shake out a wadded up comforter.

5. Be able to show a measurable attempt at growth in knowledge – wow this one is vague. Is it a class? A seminar? A conference? Spending time with other people who are better at what I do than me? All of the above. Or any combination of the aforementioned… and as I type these resolutions, I’m realizing that they are vague to be more encompassing, but also measurable to keep me accountable. And I don’t even think that was on purpose… how about that.

6. Blog twice a week – this is self-explanatory, and has been a goal of mine for a while. Now that its a resolution, its now in the major league spotlight of goals. Now I’ve got to do it…

7. Bury the snooze button – this is a tool of Satan himself. I’ve gotten a lot better about over sleeping, but I’m still a slave to the snooze button. Why is it when you’re 3/4 asleep, those extra 4 minutes seem like the best 4 minutes of sleep you will ever have? I’m pretty sure this is on the same level as a minor heroine addiction. And it’s gotta end, or I’m never gonna get anything done (I also could use a few hours more of sleep at night – but thats a different post altogether…). I really want to spend quality time with Jesus in the morning, so if that is going to happen consistently, that snooze button is going down.

8. Chase Lions… this one is cheesy, but it may have found a permanent spot on my new year’s resolution lists for years to come. Its simple but motivational as all get out. It makes me want to tackle the world and flee complacency.

So thats it. There is not a lot different from last year, so maybe I forgot something I should add. Let me know if you have any suggestions. I’ll keep you posted on my progress…  Here’s to not sucking it up in ‘08 – I’d hate to be here a year from now, trying to figure out why I’m making the same resolutions again since I didn’t finish them the year before.

New Year’s Resolutions ‘07: A Report Card

Back when I played rec league baseball, I remember one of my coaches saying to us, his embattled 11-12 year old athletes after a crushing loss – “Boys, that was some sorry baseball right there. Grab your stuff and head for right field – your momma’s ain’t gonna want to hear what I’m about to say.” That is kind of how I feel about my new year’s resolutions from last year. So while few (if any…) lived up to my pie-in-the-sky sugar plum dreams of success I had for them, I’m going to call them out for what they were – in hopes of learning something before I make my resolutions for ‘08 – and yes, in case you were wondering, there is an unspoken 13 day window to establish New Years Resolutions after the New Year has begun. Wiki that crap, its there. So here we go…

7 new years resolutions for 2007
1. take at least 1 new class: I drove by a college a few times, and I attended a few seminars at a church conference. Not exactly what I had in mind from the beginning. I’m giving it minimal credit, and in some circles they wouldn’t count it – kind of like when make a pool shot you didn’t mean to make and try to play it off as your awesome pool shark skills… eat your heart out Paul Newman.
Grade: D

2. run at least 3 5K races: – ha. This may be the most laughable. Nowhere close. I ran some and thought about a few races. I even went on a running website to look for some 5Ks. And then did nothing about it.
Grade: F

3. read at least 5 books: I did read some books. I even got a few books for my birthday. And I had to read a few books for work – but I’m not going to count those, since it was more homework than anything else. Not that I didn’t enjoy them or gain anything from them, its just not what I would have read had it been my choice. So with all that said, I think read 2 books. Maybe 3. And getting close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.
Grade: D+

4. visit at least 7 new places: I went to a few new places – Connecticut, San Francisco, I was in a wedding. I even went to my first NBA and NFL games. But the grand plan I had to go to Nashville and Austin and Chicago – yeah none of that happened. I haven’t traveled much since February, so I started trying to justify “new places” as restaurants or stores. That’s never good, when you try to explain away your failures. Sigh.
Grade: C-

5. make my bed everyday: You wouldn’t think this would be that hard to do. 7 years olds do this regularly – and they probably have more sheets than I do. I don’t even have a big bed – I sleep on a twin bed I’ve had since I was 5. Tuck in your sheets, prop up your pillows. Nope, not this guy. I did this for maybe 3 weeks. And then maybe 10 times the rest of the of year.
Grade: F

6. be more reliable: Now that I’m getting to the ones you can’t measure quantitatively, I think I’ve done alright. I called people back more, I made better to-do lists, I tried to be on time more, I try to finish things on time more. I wasn’t perfect at this, but I did make some progress. There’s your silver lining.
Grade: B

7. chase lions: Quit job. New job. New girlfriend. New rental house. Bought a boat. Thought about buying a house. Made sacrifices. Made new friends. This is just a good rule of thumb to have in life, rather than a one year goal. And I did what I could to make it happen.
Grade: B+

And there it is. A train wreck of resolutions. Good grief. Here’s a toast to getting it right in ‘08. And no, I’m not going to lower the bar to make myself feel better. That’s like beating your little sister in basketball. Sure you won, but who did you really beat? No, these will be legit. Now, I just have to figure out what to do…

Oh and…

one other thing that happen on the Christmas Break Blog Hiatus, and I didn’t even know it:

I slid right through 5,000 blog views like it was sock feet on a hardwood floor. I should write better stuff so people won’t waste their time when they drop by. Sticky note that for my New Year’s Resolutions when I get to those later this week.

A Recap of the Christmas Break Blog Hiatus

So like a bunch of people who blog a lot more than me, I took some time off from the blog for the Christmas holidays… Now whats different between this two week hiatus and the 2-3 week unexplained blog breaks I like to take? Plenty. First off all, this one was on purpose. Secondly, I wasn’t too busy to blog – I was too lazy. Our church offices were closed for the week of Christmas so I was able to get some time away from the ol’ MacBook and the blog world. And it was good times. Here are few of the highlights:

- On Dec. 23, our church got together with NewBirth Charlotte to put on a Christmas service like I’ve never seen, let alone had a part in. 5,500 people, plus a couple hundred kids, a gospel choir, a step team, the “guitARMY”, and watching hundreds of hands shoot up making decisions for Jesus. Here are a few hot pics taken by Sean Lyon.

- Ashley and I went to see Asylum. I have no words for how terrible this movie is. Holy crap. The highlights began and ended in the first ten minutes, with some quality air time for Winthrop and seeing my fuzzy face in the background of a bunch on scenes in the beginning. From there, the movie takes the pony express to Suckville. My favorite review came from MetroMix Los Angeles – “No amount of lowered expectations can disguise what a piece of junk it is.”

- Like I said, we got a whole week off from work for Christmas. I slept in until 10 everyday. It was incredible. Babies don’t sleep as good as I did that week.

- I got to spend some great time with the fam, my grandparents and my aunt and uncle. I forget how lucky I am to have the family I do. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I have the greatest family on the planet. Hands down. My dad can beat up your dad and my mom loves me more than yours does. Just learn to deal with it. My sister are also prettier, smarter, cooler and just overall better than any siblings you might have. Too bad for you.

- Ashley gave me, among other things, a treasure chest and a harmonica for Christmas. You’re girlfriend is nowhere close to as cool as her. Sorry to burst your bubble. Again.

- I got Guitar Hero III for the Wii. Crack isn’t this addicting.

- I went and saw a few movies (some my choice, some not) – Juno, Sweeny Todd, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, and AVP:Requiem. Sweeny Todd is straight-up classic Tim Burton and Johnny Depp (1 part Jack Sparrow, 1 part Edward Scissorhands, 1 part broadway) and Juno is just plain feel-good fantastic – smart, funny and full of grace. It jumped quickly into my top 5 movies of the year, taking the same fast track as Little Miss Sunshine last year. Dewey Cox was sadly disappointing and Alien vs. Predator was exactly what you’d expect from the sequel to a marketing ploy to combine two Sci Fi movie franchises already in decline.  Boogers.

- I got to watch Winthrop beat #19 Miami on TV. It’s the highest ranked team ever beat by a Big South team. Winthrop is 2-0 this year vs. the ACC. South Carolina is 0-2. We’re wicked good.

And that’s that. A great few weeks off and now I’m back. Its gonna be a good year…