Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Turn Back Tuesday

So today's blast from the past takes me back to when I was so much more into game shows.  Who am I kidding, I'll never stop being into game shows.  Game shows are what this country was founded on.  Average Joes becoming upper class overnight, or in Ken Jennings's case, over the course of 3 months.

Game show fixation

So how do I feel now, almost two years later?  Pretty much the same.  Seeing idiots win prizes when they had no clue what they're doing.  Seeing bright people fail at game shows.  Puzzles being ruined by kids.  It's all still there.  I wonder if my roommates wonder how my heart is still going after all the conniptions I've had watching someone not know random trivia.

What makes us so into these things?  I think we invest because we care.  Deep down, we just want that underdog to win.  Maybe we see something in them that we can relate to.  Maybe it's the way they look.  Maybe it's their upbringing.  Maybe it's just us wanting to live vicariously through others.  The point is, there is nothing wrong with enjoying other people winning.  It's just that we have to understand that they're going through crazy emotions.  I went through them when I was on Wheel of Fortune.  I can pretty much smoke any human on the planet in Wheel of Fortune at home.  At the studio, it's just so nerve wracking.

I guess my point is, be happy for people and have sympathy.  Don't call them names or swear at the television.  Just enjoy the show.

Same with life, just enjoy the show.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Monday Top Ten

Today's top ten is in honor of the purchase of my first smartphone.  Yeah, I said I probably wouldn't get one, but I got a great deal on it.  Anyway, this is the top ten things I'll never do with my new smartphone.

10.  Cook dinner
The phone is smart, but it doesn't have burners on it.  So I can't really cook with it.  I can however, find awesome recipes to study and make for my house.

9.  Find a wife
I know how some of my friends want me to get married, but this phone is not a miracle worker.  However, there are applications for sites like eHarmony and Plenty of Fish to help with that.

8.  Start my car
Only because my car is a 1999.  They didn't have smartphones back then.  In fact, most people didn't even have cell phones back then.  Mostly because of the whole Y2K thing.

7.  Watch movies
I know I'm able to watch movies, but honestly, who wants to watch a movie on a 4 inch screen?  You have to be seriously bored to tears to get to that point.

6.  Send a Tout
It's like Twitter with video.  I refuse to be a part of that mess.

5.  Send a Tweet
Not a big fan of Twitter.  I shall not ever partake in that mess.

4.  My homework
I'd rather use my laptop, of if I'm really feeling frisky, real paper and a writing utensil.

3.  Go to the Apple Store
I have an Android, so all my stuff is on the Android Market, or soon to be called Google Play.

2.  Count my steps
They have an app that can count your steps as you walk or run.  Psh, no thanks.  I don't need people counting my steps for me.  I'd rather just go and see where I ended up.

1.  Get Lost
This thing has a GPS.  Sweet.  I can now go places and punch in an address.  These phones are great.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

I'm Back Folks

Well, I haven't posted in about a week.  It's been a while, and I'm sorry.  Basically, I couldn't get Internet access at the church we were staying in, so I didn't get to share a day by day of my awesome trip.

My church took a group of young people and adults to Sugar Hill, Georgia to be a part of World Changers. World Changers is a group whose purpose is to share Jesus by helping those in need with work on their homes.  The people that are helped could be elderly, down on their luck, or unemployed.  I have to say that I learned so much about myself this week.  Mainly, that I can really encourage people to do their absolute best not just in house work, but life work.

The church groups are split up into different teams.  It's possible to have one person from your group with you for a project.  The team I was on did not have a member of my church with me.  However, I truly am excited about the group God put me with.  I met some wonderful kids.  Our group worked with another group to help an unemployed lady with her siding and painting her home.  She was a true blessing.  She encouraged me more than I could imagine.  Her positive attitude in the midst of a down time in her life showed me that I don't have it that bad.  Her thankfulness really showed me that there are people out there who know how to be grateful.  We also worked on an elderly lady's home.  We painted the entire house in about 7 hours.  It was an amazing show of hard work and determination.

We were fed amazingly by a local church in the area.  The best meal was the chicken salad sandwiches. They were home made by the way.  The food was so good.  We also were housed by an amazing church.  The people did everything possible to make our stay a great one.

The best part was the worship each night.  We got to sit with our crew almost every night.  We got to worship our Lord together.  It was amazing.  The speaker was pretty awesome.  His name is Gary Permenter.  Feel free to invite him to talk to your church.  Actually, I'd just say you just find his number and call him.  He's that cool of a guy.

I would suggest anyone to take a World Changers trip.  If you're not sure who to go with, just find some nice folks and ask to tag along.  What's the worst that could happen?  An amazing trip.

Here's the video from our trip.



CLICK AND SCROLL DOWN FOR PICTURES AND A RECAP


Sunday, July 22, 2012

Special Sunday Funday

Yeah, I know that I never really post on Sundays, but this is different.  One, I missed yesterday's Open Letter Saturday due to utter exhaustion from helping my friend with his race team.  He did a good job and got 6th place.  Second, I'm on my church's mission trip as we speak.

Today we drove to Gastonia, NC to stay for the night.  We ate at Cracker Barrel in Christiansburg, then Steak n Shake in Gastonia.  I have to say that Cracker Barrel could be the worst food to eat BEFORE a long trip.  Anytime after a trip, it's perfect.  That stuff could put you to sleep.  Bears don't need to be shot with tranquilizers anymore.  Just feed them cornbread and trout.  That would totally knock them out.

Steak n Shake is amazing.  Why can't Roanoke have one?  Oh yeah, we can't have nice things.  People do dumb things and ruin it for us.  Just a heads up, stop ruining things for me.

I'm very excited about the possibility of working with people I've never met and probably won't see again.  I love the chance I get to help people.  This is what this trip is about.  It's about giving forward.  Truth be told, these people have never given me anything so I can't consider it giving back.  My prayer and wish is for me to be able to share the love of Jesus without saying a word or opening a Bible.  I want my work ethic, attitude, and production to show people that I love the Lord.  I think if people see that in me, they'll know there is something different about me.  I know I don't do a perfect job of it sometimes, but every effort is blessed by the Lord if you have the right attitude and the desire to see His will be done.

This week, my prayer is that lives are changed.  Not just the people we're helping, but the people helping, present company included.

If you want to send support to me, CLICK THIS LINK.  For church name, type "CommUNITY Church."  For church city and state, type "Salem, VA."  Select "Sugar Hill, GA (July 23-28)."  Thanks for your support.  Love you all.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Music Friday



Sometimes, you have to stop taking yourself so seriously.  This song is pretty lame.  But hey, it's Friday.  Enjoy it.

Truth be told, I've noticed that we haven't really been able laugh at ourselves anymore.  This song always reminds me that you just need to relax and enjoy yourself.  The girl got a chance to sing a song, and now she's infamous.

If you're worried about what people think, just ignore them.  Nine times out of ten, the people who you worry about the most couldn't give two flips about you.  Not just one, but two flips, that's intense.  Just roll.  Do what you do.  Do what you want to do.  There is no time to worry about people and their antiquated opinions on how things should go.  Just do what you want to do.  God has given us a freedom to live the way  we choose.  Now He may be upset at the choices we may make, but we still have that freedom.

As I finish, I just want to remind people that God's love is the most important thing in your life.  Don't let anyone steer you from it because they don't agree with you.  Live your life and enjoy the moments.  Let everyday be like a Friday.


Thursday, July 19, 2012

Let's Be Real

I have to say that this whole Penn State/Joe Paterno/Jerry Sandusky junk is getting a little silly.  By now, I'm sure you all have heard about the Freeh Report.  In it was some pretty damning testimony that implemented the athletic director, president, vice president, and head football coach of Penn State.  They were known to be negligent in the handling of the accusations brought on Jerry Sandusky.  In layman's terms, they didn't do jack squat to help those kids.

People are arguing that Joe Paterno's legacy should be kept in tact.  Things like his statue, his place in the Hall of Fame, and other things should be respected.  I have a problem with that.  You see, Joe Paterno in all his love for everything Penn State forgot something important.  Kids were being hurt.  When you let kids get hurt just to save the fantasy that is the legend of Penn State, you're as evil as the molester himself.  

Paterno's legacy is now that of an enabler.  He is someone who couldn't care less about the welfare of children.  I'm sorry if that hurts your feelings.  I'm sorry if I'm hurting your feelings.  I understand how special Penn State football is to their fans.  I understand that Paterno may have reached super iconic status.  However, once you deify someone, they kind of have to live up to that.  Paterno seemed like he was on his way.  His program never had a violation of rules.  The teams were disciplined and well behaved.  However, now we have to think about what to do with the football program.

I don't know if I'd go with the death penalty for the squad.  However, I'd have to ask for something truly harsh for the program.  Sandusky used the program to lure young boys so he could molest them.  The fact that the program knew his intentions.  So in that aspect, I'd say shut down the program.  However, the kids that are there now to play football had nothing to do with the Sandusky thing.  So in that aspect, I think they shouldn't be punished.  I just believe that for certain, the people that were there now should have the book thrown at them.

Now to those that think Eddie Robinson should be back on the top of the all time wins list.  No need.  John Gagliardi of St. John's College has the most wins.  Eddie Robinson is a great coach, but he wasn't the all time winningest coach.  Paterno's wins shouldn't be ripped away.  However everything else should be ripped out of the Penn State lore.  That's the only way the school can shake this stigma.  

It's about the kids.  Ultimately, the innocent children that were molested are the ones that get the last word.  These poor kids have been run through the muck by a disgusting man.  Who cares about legacies, championships, and football when there are kids involved?  If you're one of those who think Paterno's legacy should be in tact no matter what, just think about your kids or any kids you may know.  That's who you need to be worried about, not a stupid statue of a stupid man who did a stupid thing.  Yeah, I know Paterno was smart, but he did the dumbest thing ever.  He allowed children to be hurt.  You don't get a statue for allowing children to get hurt.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Hectic Hump Day

Today's the day I tell you what I'm thinking.

1.  I find it funny that my fella called two piece bathing suits "inappropriate".  I think it was the way he said it that made it so great.

2.  Soon, I will be going to Georgia to help people in Sugar Hill.  I think I will be blessed beyond belief by it.

3.  Just a heads up to the parents out there.  If your kid goes to a free summer camp with notebooks, pencils, and a frown...they lied to you.  They're in summer school.

4.  I really need to do dishes.  If I don't, no one will.

5.  God's will is better than anything you can think of.

6.  It seems like my blog on my life advice really took off.  If you missed it, CLICK THIS LINK.

7.  I need to grow a spine.  That's all I have to say.

8.  I actually changed a battery in my car all by myself.  It wasn't hard except for the nut that wouldn't budge.  I seriously spent hours trying to get one nut to budge.  It was crazy.  Oh well, I have a brand new battery and I'll have to wait another month to get that smartphone I wanted.

9.  I don't get how people don't put enough sugar in Kool-Aid.  If it tastes like water still, you need more sugar.  Or you need to stir a little harder.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Turn Back Tuesday

Today's blog takes us back to August 4, 2010.  Airplanes by B.o.B. and that chick from Paramore was the popular song.  In fact, everyone on my Facebook was posting it as their status update.  It seemed like every other hour, someone was quoting the chorus of that song.

Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars? I could really use a wish right now.

I had a bigger issue with people over quoting the song.  I guess I could understand why.  We were in a terrible recession.  We're still getting hit kind of hard by it.  Unemployment was rampant.  College kids were having hard times getting work.  It was a rough time period.

If I had one wish, it would be that people would understand what they are getting themselves into.  It seems like so many people on this planet forget that there are consequences for their actions.  Too often, I see people who just complain and whine about their circumstances without once saying, "oh wait, I shouldn't have done that."  I wish that there were more people who would heed others' warnings about certain things.  There's a reason they put history in books, so others can read it and learn from it.  Most people just want to learn through trying.  That's fine, as long as you don't complain about the results.

I think a personal wish for me is that I can leave a legacy.  Something that could help others become successful.  Yeah, I want to be successful too, no doubt.  However, I want others to feel the sense of satisfaction from something I did.  Nothing wrong with leaving a great legacy for all to follow.  I want that for myself.  I want people to think, "man, that Tyrone really helped me do the right thing."

If you really want to do the right thing by me, stop requesting Call Me Maybe.  Even though I can honestly say I've never heard that song in its entirety.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Monday Top Ten

Today's top ten is a bit of an advice column sort of thing.  I figured that I would give you all my top ten words of advice that I can give people to help them through things.  I know that I'm not an expert on everything, but I can honestly say that my life has been a lot easier because I tried to live by these things.

10.  Be Thankful
I know that should be in the top 5, but truth be told, sometimes it's hard to be thankful.  When you see people who don't deserve what they have because of how they treat people, you kind of wonder what's happening.  However, in the end it's always best to be thankful.  It's always best to think about where you could be comparable to where you are.

9.  Laugh at Yourself
Look, we're all a bunch of flawed, idiots.  We do stupid things all the time.  We trip, we fall, we crash.  The main thing is that you have to just laugh at yourself.  Make funny jokes, even if no one thinks they're funny.  


8.  Avoid Crazy People
Yes, I know I just said we're flawed, but that doesn't mean you have to subject yourself to crazy people who aren't stable in the head.  You allow yourself to be surrounded by the wrong people, and your life will be messed up.  If you're not sure what crazy is, see THIS LINK RIGHT HERE.


7.  Avoid Chumpstains
If there is one thing I hate, it's someone being a chumpstain.  Don't let chumpstains get into your life.  They will bring you down and hurt you worse than anything.  Do not allow yourself to be brought down by a chumpstain.  If you're not sure what a chumpstain is, see THIS LINK RIGHT HERE.


6.  Be Picky
Look, I am fully aware that I'm single.  I'm aware that I'm not married yet.  However, I have to say that I'm super happy about that.  I've seen people just settle for the sake of being in a relationship.  I've seen people marry way too young because it was a fairy tale coming true.  Then a few years later, they realized how immature their significant other was.  You have got to be picky.  Never settle for the first available when the best available is out there waiting for you.


5.  Stay Humble
You're going to do some awesome things in your life.  Things that will make people look at you as greatness.  It's your job to keep your cool and realize that you wouldn't be where you are without the grace of God.  So keep striving to do well, but don't forget that it could all go away if you're not humble.


4.  Ask Questions
If you're not quite sure why things are why they are, ask questions.  Don't just blindly go into something.  God doesn't mind when you ask Him stuff, just ask Him.  Be okay with being unsure of something.  Never be afraid to admit that you need to learn, no matter how old you are.


3.  Take Up Something Fun
One of the worst things people can do is avoid activity for fear of getting addicted to it.  It's still cool to just have a little fun.  Take up golf, working out, maybe even video games.  Nothing wrong with activity.  As long as said activity doesn't interfere with your daily living, go for it.

2.  Never Forget to Show Your Love for Friends and Family
Your family will always be your family.  Never neglect to tell them how great you think they are.  Even if they're not that great, tell them anyway.  Your friends, well you can choose them.  So you had better be good to them.  You had better tell them how great they are for putting up with you.  Loyalty to them is your best bet.

1.  Trust God
I'm just going to tell you that if you trust God, no matter your circumstances, you will be blessed.  Now it may be a while before you see said blessing, but it will come.  Trust God with everything you have.  Anything you're going through, trust Him with it.  I know some of you may think it's a bit of hooey , but God is there even if you don't see Him or want Him around.  I love the Lord, I will not apologize for that.  He loves me, I will never think opposite.  Trust God.  He's a good God.

There you go, a few words of wisdom.  I've always thought about how I would write a self-help book.  I think these would be the chapter titles.  Of course I'd have to be famous first.  So share my blog with others, particularly this one.  Make me famous so I can write a book and be legit at the same time.  Thanks.


Sunday, July 15, 2012

Open Letter Saturday

Here's another open letter to something or someone.

Dear Life:

I challenged you to do your worst, and quite frankly I'm impressed.  You gave me a false sense of security to start.  I mean you gave me a really good day at work.  Everything seemed to run pretty smoothly.  Then the evening came.  I planned on going to see a movie and having dinner with some good friends.  However, it never happened like I wanted it.  You decided that now would be a good time to kill the battery in my car.  And considering that I slam doors like an angry housewife, I know it wasn't because of any kind of door ajar error.  I mean, I did everything right.  The battery just decided to go down.

You gave me another false sense of hope when the battery seemed to charge up fairly quickly.  Real cool.  Then the battery dies at the theater after I already missed dinner with friends.  I buy a battery, ridiculously priced.  I buy some tools to put install the battery myself.  However, I get the smallest socket wrench in Wal-Mart and it's still too big.  I probably could have looked a little harder for the right size, but tools aren't my forte.  Never have been.  So now my car is trapped at the movie theater where the weirdos and oddballs are.  I have to call a homey at 7 in the morning to see if he has the right tool.  Chances are, he does.  Just couldn't get a hold of him this evening because most sensible people are in bed by then.  Not to mention, the movie stunk.


However, through this I can say this.  God is still good.  God is still great.  You can't beat my God.  So I will praise Him through the storm and the rain.  


Take that life.

Sincerely,
That Dude the Devil Hates to See Awake

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Music Friday



First of all, this little girl was like 12 when she made this song.  What she know about love?  That's what you're asking, I'm sure.  I'm going to tell you something my youth ministries professor told us about teenagers and puppy love.  It's real to the puppy.

However, this isn't about teenagers falling in love and all that junk.  It's about how I felt all day about a certain Commander in Chief who came to visit my town today.  Yes, Barack Obama came all the way to Roanoke to campaign for votes.  Here's what I was thinking throughout the day.

1.  GET OUT!
This is more of a frustration with the hullabaloo that was associated with the President.  I understand.  It's the President.  I totally get that.  However, the inconvenience that came with his arrival was felt by all.  They used a parking area near my house for the people who had tickets.  That's not really a problem except the area is a couple miles from the place the President was speaking.  They also shut down half the interstate so they could move the President in and out.  I get why, I do.  It's just frustrating.

2.  GET OUT!
Not to the President, but to the idiots who aren't fans of his.  And not necessarily because of his policies, but because he's not an old white guy.  Real talk, there are people that aren't supporters of the President ONLY because he's black.  Look, not one president in the history of this country has ever made everyone happy.  However, we're going to have to set some ground rules for why we aren't fans of someone.  Skin color is not a reason to hate someone.  Also, if a radio host tells you not to like someone, laugh at them and change the channel.  And if you're wanting to do and say terrible things and disrespect who God has allowed to be our leader, you can just get out.


Thursday, July 12, 2012

Recipes and Stuff

So I made this awesome salad today.  Pretty great I must say.  If you're looking for a healthy salad in your life, I'll give you the recipe.

Start with a bed of spinach.  Spinach is just a better base for a salad than lettuce. Lettuce is kind of empty.  Spinach has more nutrients that are good for you.  No wonder they call it a super food.  I don't know specifically who "they" are, but I appreciate them.

Next, sliced cucumbers, carrots, and bell peppers.  I used orange bell peppers, but any color other than green is a good.  It just makes your salad look better.

Grape tomatoes are next.  Cherry tomatoes aren't bad, but grape is just cuter.

Sliced mozzarella string cheese is next.  They look like little Frisbees when you slice them.  The bright white color just kind of brings the salad into the aesthetically pleasing status.

Mini pepperoni slices are a good source of protein.  They're small and don't need much preparation time.  Just separating the ones that get stuck together.

Tuna fish is the main protein.  I get the one based in water.  It's pinker and stays together a lot better than the tuna in an oil base.  Honestly, I used Kroger brand.  It's just as good as any brand.  Thank goodness for that power outage.  I'd have never thought to put tuna in a green salad.

Mandarin oranges are so good.  I used canned oranges, again from Kroger.  They are so sweet, it's a good counter to the tomatoes. I've always liked fruit in vegetable salads.  Strawberries are my favorite fruit in salad, but mandarin oranges may have changed my thought process.

Finally, I drizzled it with ranch dressing.  You can't over power the salad with dressing when you have all those flavors put together.  So a light drizzle is all you need.  My friend Jessica says that every black person that comes in her restaurant orders ranch dressing, so I have to be light on the dressing to kill the stereotype.

There you go, get in on that salad.  It's a good meal.  It's tasty.  It's healthy.  I would say it's for vegetarians, but apparently dolphins are getting caught in tuna nets...

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Hectic Hump Day

It's that time again.  The day I feel like telling you everything that's on my mind with no particular rhyme or reason.

1.  I'm sick of Twitter, still.

2.  Summer School is going off without a hitch.  I do know that I need to figure out how to sleep a little better.  Which means I should empty my bladder before bedtime...too much information, I know.

3.  My roommate makes this really awesome pasta salad.  However, I have to wonder why he makes a bowl for himself and picks out the carrots.  He made the salad, why doesn't he just not put carrots in to begin with?

4.  I forgot how dumb the ESPYs are...however the host ripped on Anthony Davis' unibrow, so it's redeeming itself.

5.  Speaking of, someone give me a rundown on Rob Riggle please.

6.  My Chicago White Sox are leading the division.  I'm kind of shocked.

7.  Nas has a new album coming out?  Finally, someone to teach these morons how to do hip hop right...

8.  The Olympics are coming, so excited.

9.  I posted a picture on my Facebook basically telling people to stop calling our presidents "Hitler."  Thanks, Management.

10.  That Capital One Baby is competing with the E*Trade Baby for best commercial personality.  Well, the Geico Gecko is in the running too.

11.  Is everything Dub Stepped and Skrillex'd nowadays?  Terrible.




Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Turn Back Tuesday

Today's blast from the past is pretty much the same as most of my blog.  I complain about something that frustrates me.  I lash out.  Today, I tell Facebook what for.

Tyrone vs Facebook

Now, I pretty much feel the same about Facebook telling me what I ought to like.  I don't like people or websites thinking for me.  However I do want to talk about something else.

Antoine Dodson.  That guy is amazing.  His story is such a classic tale of a nobody turning to a hero.  We always think that we'd do the same if we were in his situation.  Actually, I would say that most of us would be kind of frightened.  To be able to instinctively jump on an intruder and chase him out of the house is a pretty amazing feat.  I'd love to say I'd do the same, but truth be told, nerves can do a lot to you.

Do we have a hero in us anymore?  What happened to chivalry?  What happened to being a person to be counted on?  Antoine was reliable enough to save his sister.  Can we be reliable anymore?  Can we be counted on and trusted to do the right thing?  Politicians can't be trusted.  News channels can't be trusted.  Even our very best friends and family can't be trusted anymore.  Bring back the times of trust and respect. Be someone worth the effort.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Monday Top Ten

Time to make things light tonight.  Today, I'm just going to list my top ten favorite athletes of all time.  The ones in bold are the ones I'll name my kids after.  Well, I'm going to bold the name I'd give the kids.

10.  Ric Flair
He'd be up higher if he wasn't pimping an energy drink with a toy wrestling belt.  Just love that guy.  His style, his swag, his trash talking ways...they all give me chills.

9.  Kevin Durant
He's a very young man, but he's the best basketball player on my favorite basketball team.  He'll probably be up higher when he wins a championship.

8.  "Macho Man" Randy Savage
Pretty much my favorite wrestler ever.  The flying elbow drop was the coolest thing I've ever seen.  When he and Hulk Hogan split as a tag team, I was on Savage's side.  Basically, I thought he was the man.  When he died, I was near tears.

7. Gary Payton
Yes, I would name my child after Gary Payton.  He was one of the best trash talkers of all time.  He was the face of my favorite basketball team for years.  I even bought a pair of Nike Gloves 2.0.  They weren't gloves, they just called him that because he was so smothering on defense.

6. Michael Jordan
Kinda hate him for ruining my Seattle SuperSonics chances at a championship.  Of course, how could we beat the team that set the record for the most wins in a season ever?  Oh well, he's still one of my favorite athletes.

5.  Aaron Rodgers
Love that guy.  Won my beloved Packers a Super Bowl.  He's great.  He'll be one of the greatest ever when it's all said and done, don't you worry.

4. Charles Barkley
Sir Charles is not only one of my favorite players ever, he's one of my favorite people on the planet.  He's honest, sincere, and down right funny.  I really wished he'd run for governor of Alabama.  I'd move to Alabama just to vote for him.

3. Barry Bonds
Yeah, I know he has a bad rap.  However, growing up, I thought he was the best ever.  Still do, truth be told.  I even bought a dangly cross earring simply to be just like him.  I wore 25 in church softball.  Yeah, loved that guy.

2. Brett Favre
That guy is the man.  He'd be number one if he didn't side with those lousy, no good Minnesota Vikings.  I hate the Vikings, so I wished him nothing but the best until he played my Packers.  However, he's the reason I became a Packers fan as a young boy.  He's the reason I love football more than any other sport.  An incredible athlete.

1.  Muhammad Ali
He's simply the Greatest.  He's the best ever.  No one could touch him.  There was a lot of hate when he gave up fighting in the Vietnam War.  That doesn't mean much in terms of how great of an athlete and fighter he is.  He was the best, bar none.  He could do some awesome things in that boxing ring.





Saturday, July 7, 2012

Open Letter Saturday

Today's open letter is going out to a particular group of people who are giving the rest of us a bad name.  Please excuse me if I seem frustrated, but when people act a fool, I kind of have to rip them apart.

Dear Westboro Baptist Church,

You're getting on my very last nerve.  Your church has done nothing to advance the Kingdom of God whatsoever.  You are no help.  Please stop doing what you're doing.  The Bible says that the greatest commandment is "to love your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength; and the second is like it, love your neighbor as you love yourself."

Last I checked, calling people who may not do the same things you do derogatory names is not loving your neighbor.  In fact, one can argue that it's not even loving God.  God's word says that God is love.  If you're not loving people the way you're supposed to, you're basically telling God that He's not good enough for them.  Since when?

How dare you use God's word to divide the people of this great country.  For you to cowardly hide behind your freedom of speech is unbelieveable.  The Great Commission says to go and teach all nations and baptize them.  Not once does it say, condemn those and do God's job for Him.  You're all a bunch of cowards.  You're the personification of hypocrisy.

Yes, God has given us a mouth to speak His word, but you're forgetting how to use love.  You've been given a mouth to love your brothers and sisters.  You've been given a mouth to encourage those in the faith.  I'm not encouraged when I see you doing your silly demonstrations.  For you to go to the funerals of our courageous men and women who defended our freedoms to the death literally and protest, it shows how little of the Bible you've read.  In fact, I'd venture to say that you've just kind of found a happy spot in the Bible and refused to go any further.

Please stop telling people you represent God.  I will deny you completely, and I'm sure most of my Christian friends would too.  You're the antithesis of what we need to bring blessings from God to America.

Regards,
A Ticked Off Christian Tired of Having to Defend My God Because You Were Too Stupid to Read Past Leviticus

Music Friday



I figured today would be a good day to just enjoy life and dance.  I remember when this song came out back in the day.  Everyone was just enjoying the song.  No one tried to find any hidden meaning.  There was no wishing death upon a rival rapper.  Just a bunch of people having fun.

What happened to those days?  What happened to dancing being an artform.  I see dancing nowadays and it's more like advertising than anything else.  Sometimes, it's worse than that.  People just on top of each other doing Lord knows what.  Sometimes I wonder if people know what song is playing.  They certainly aren't following any kind of rhythm.

I always pick on today's attempts at music, but it bears repeating.  These new people need to leave and let the old school do one more album.  Free us from the tyranny of techno, mumbo jumbo, auto tuned slop.  Give us real music that we can dance to.  Something that makes us sweat because we're actually moving to the rhythm instead of trying to discover a body part we have no business discovering in public.

Oh, that pretty model lady isn't singing the song; she's just lip syncing.  The real singer is Martha Wash aka one of the Weather Girls from It's Raining Men fame.  The group found her too unattractive to be in the video.  She got her revenge, don't worry.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

A Little Confused

Today, I made a post on my Facebook about the hypocrisy of some women.  I didn't really mean to generalize, but I only get 420 characters to express myself.  I do have to say that I have a lot of friends who are good solid people.

I asked about how 50 Shades of Grey is okay for a woman to read and swoon over, yet a man watching a pornographic movie was so terrible and gross.  That really gets my goat.  Not because I want every man to have the freedom to watch dirty movies, but because it's so hypocritical.  You can't get what you want, and then get upset when someone gets virtually the same thing.

It's that same principle with gay marriage and stuff.  I'm not going to get all into what's wrong and what's right, that's for another blog.  I just have an issue with the people just continuously telling people that they're wrong, all the while they're doing wrong in their own home.  It's not always the same thing, but the point is that people have their own problems and instead of handling them like they're supposed to.

Matthew 7:3-5:
3 Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the log in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and look, there’s a log in your eye? 5 Hypocrite! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.




I'm just saying that you can't condemn one person for something when you have your own things going on.  I try not to judge.  I will tell you if something isn't right, but only if you ask my opinion.  I just wish the world were more about helping each other than harming and judging each other.  There's plenty of time to talk about all their wrong.  Right now, it's time to give them hope.  The hope in Christ is the best hope to give.  Work on that first.  Once they achieve and understand that hope, then you can show them how to do things right.  

And I actually do hope Kristen Stewart plays that role, that way no one will see the movie and everything will be copacetic.


Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Hectic Hump Day

A Happy 4th to you all.  I'm sure you're being safe with the fireworks and responsible with your alcohol consumption.  If not, then start now.  It's not too late.

This Hectic Hump Day is a dedication to the Salem Fair.

1.  What happened to parents?  Seriously, the way some of these girls were dressed was embarrassing.  I was embarrassed for those people.  I know it's summer, and you're supposed to wear less clothes because of the heat.  But good Lord, where in the world is your class?

2.  Oh look, there's a teenage girl's mom.  That's why teenage girl dresses like that.

3.  Carnies are getting scarier and scarier by the ride.

4.  Those rides are looking more menacing than ever.

5.  Who thought renaming the Gravitron was a good idea?  Terrible.

6.  Oh goodness, the Zipper.  I tried that thing once, they tried to shatter my kneecaps with the door.

7.  Fried Kool-Aid.  I cannot believe this was an option.  It's official, you can fry anything.  It wasn't too bad.  They used the universal flavor of champions.  Red.

8.  Who thought it was a good idea to have a porcupine in the petting zoo?  I mean really...

9.  If you want more of a soda that you feel you're overpaying for, ask for no ice.

10.  Is it okay to tell someone's business if said someone yells that business for people in the next county over to hear?

11.  Every step I took made me realize why I hate the fair.  However the step I didn't take was the main reason.  When a mother yelled to her child, "STOP STEPPIN IN DAT THOW UP!"  No, I did not forget the G or R, nor did I spell "that" correctly.  However, it just reaffirmed my thoughts about fairs in America.  Scary, frightening place.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Turn Back Tuesday

Today's Turn Back Tuesday is a tribute to those who feel a t-shirt makes them awesome.  Enjoy the blog, then I'll explain how I feel now.

Tyrone vs Tapout

I still pretty much feel the same way about tight t-shirts and dorks who wear them.  Look guys, I understand that you have to come off kind of awesome in order to achieve whatever goal you're trying to achieve at the sports bar.  However, you're pushing your luck.  Tight screen printed shirts went out with Jon Gosselin, and probably Kate too.

I do like Tapout.  They make some nice gear.  I love mixed martial arts.  I plan on watching the Sonnen-Silva rematch.  However, I can't get over how many guys still think they're tougher because of their shirt.  Just one shirt, and KABOOM, I'm tough.  I'll tell you what makes you tough, being able to ignore idiots.

I was at a restaurant, and some dude tried to start a fight with a 10 year old.  Actually, the dude grabbed the kid by the neck.  It took every ounce of me not to trounce that guy.  That and about 8 other guys were already on him.  Although I do believe that the alcohol level was high in the man, guess what he was wearing.  A Tapout shirt...just saying.

I said it before, and I'll say it again.  Clothes don't make the man, it just makes the man warmer.

Monday, July 2, 2012

Monday Top Ten

I'm at a lack of ideas for a top ten.  I really haven't thought about a blog today.  Been running around all day, not sure what to make of things.  People still don't have power in areas within 10 minutes of me.  It's saddening to me.  So today, I'll just list the things I missed the most about power.

10.  Using the bathroom in the light
You really don't realize how much you depend on light until you have to pee at 11pm.  Lot's of cleaning has been done...

9.  Laundry
I don't have my grandma's old washboard from the houseboat.  So I was pretty upset when I was out of towels and washcloths to shower with and nothing to clean myself with.  Thank goodness for friends.

8.  Refrigeration
Luckily the bags of ice I bought for the freezer kept everything cold enough to keep.  Of course it made for a wonderful clean up.

7.  Television
You know, I thought I'd miss television more than I did.  I mean, I love my On Demand channels, however I didn't lose my mind when I missed some TV.  Maybe it's because I didn't see nearly as many Magic Mike ads...

6.  Cooking
I love to cook.  It's pretty apparent considering I have a killer chocolate chip cookie recipe.  I couldn't do my cooking on the stove like I love to do.

5.  Porch Lights
Keys are hard to find in the dark.  Especially when you have to go to the bathroom.  Ever notice how keys won't come out of your pocket when you have to go to the bathroom?

4.  Email
I don't own a smartphone.  I only have a Rumor2.  I can't really look at my email the way I want to on my phone.  Plus, the battery gets pretty low when I do Internet on it.  Thank you car charger.

3.  Air Conditioning
I could not breathe well in the heat.  I didn't mind losing the power as much as I minded being in 104 degree weather.  104 degrees and no A/C can really put a strain on someone.  Ask my roommate.

2.  Seeing Neighbors
I'm not too good at talking to my neighbors.  They ask too many questions.  I saw them in a whole new light during the power outage.  Particularly the guy who had a generator just for his freezer full of beer.  Priorities...

1.  Helplessness
I seriously think that being helpless is the worst feeling in the world.  To have to rely on others to do things that grown ups should be able to do.  It's saddening, really.  I missed having my freedom.  I had to wait for the power company to rescue me.  I hate that.


Sunday, July 1, 2012

Special Sunday Funday Edition/ 200th Post Extravaganza



I usually don't do this on Sundays, however the occasion presents itself as a perfect opportunity to praise my God and impart some wisdom to all my readers.  Ironically, this is my 200th post.  I wanted to do something pretty awesome for this momentous occasion.  However considering what my weekend was like, I feel it better to do this instead.  

There was a terrible heatwave here in the Roanoke Valley that started Friday.  Temperatures hit up to 104 degrees (that's Farenheit, we'd have died if it were Celcius, and don't get me started on Kelvin).  Anyway, it was miserable.  Thankfully, my fella didn't want to do too much outside.  After that, I went to a friend's house to watch a movie at her backyard.  Well, that was what was supposed to happen.  All of a sudden, a crazy wind storm came along.  I think the technical term is a tempest, and not Vanessa Huxtable.  This was an insane moment.  Tree limbs were flying, winds were howling, and things just went all buck wild.  When it was all over, it was devastating.

One of the worst things that happened was the loss of my church's fireworks tent.  We do that tent to send people out on missions every year.  The tent went all over the Wal-Mart parking lot.  It was a total loss.  News Story on Wind Storm.

The storm knocked out power for a few days.  Some of you readers may still be without power.  We got our power back around 9pm tonight.  I'm extending an invitation that if you need anything, please don't hesitate to get at me.  I can pretty much supply laundry, A/C, and a kitchen to cook in.

I know that I'm pretty appreciative of everything I have in my life.  However electricity is something that is so needed nowadays, it's unreal.  I wouldn't have minded the power outage in the fall or spring, but 100 degree weather with no A/C is taxing on the body.  My roommate suffered much worse than I did.  My heart broke for him.  It taught me that I have a heart.  It taught me that I do care for others like Christ cared for us.  Sometimes I wonder about that, however I'm glad that my faith in Christ to instill love in me hasn't failed.

This is the perfect time to just sit back and thank God for what you have.  Some of you may not believe in God, but you should thank Him anyway since He seems to bless you a lot despite your perpetual attempts to discount Him.  The fact that you're reading this is proof positive that God is there for you.  People need to realize how blessed they are.  I, for one, will never take anything I have for granted again.  My life, my freedom, my basic comforts and luxuries.  They all are a result of God's never ending love for me.

I truly have the power.