Feeling tired or frustrated today?

“We have to let go of all blame, all attacking, all judging, to free our inner selves to attract what we say we want. Until we do, we are hamsters in a cage chasing our own tails and wondering why we aren’t getting the results we seek.”
— Joe Vitale

The Muppets

Ah, the joy and laughter of Jim Henson’s Muppets! I spent about an hour and a half tonight watching old episodes of The Muppet Show online with my daughter. I think I missed about 75% of the humor and innuendo when I was a child. Nonetheless, I laughed then and I laugh now.

BTW — Bought my tickets tonight for Friday’s showing of The Muppets movie.

Looking inside…

“A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body.”

— Benjamin Franklin

Nagbe wins Goal of the Year

Congrats to Portland Timber’s Darlington Nagbe on Goal of the Year honors. Not bad for your first professional goal to take the world by storm. If you haven’t seen this, it’s worth watching. Truly amazing!

Portland Timbers: Nagbe wins 2011 AT&T Goal of the Year with strike against Sporting KC

‘Occupy’ Needs a Reality Check

Occupy Portland (and by association Occupy Wall Street) have my blood pressure rising these days. I believe their tactics, their message, their lawlessness to be off base, criminal, and un-American. A high school friend, Tony Roberts, had the following assessment on his Facebook wall. I couldn’t agree more.

1. You are not entitled to what I have earned unless I choose to give it to you.
2. Claiming to represent the middle class while harming them through your actions makes you a hypocrite.
3. It is not government’s job (nor anyone else’s), to make you happy.
4. The banks are not to blame for all of your problems. (They have tried that with other groups in previous times, read some history.)
5. If you borrow money you’re expected to pay it back. If you were not financially savvy enough at the time to understand interest rates, that’s your fault, not the banks.
6. Allowing hate speech in your organization and claiming that it’s allowance shows your tolerance does nothing of the kind, it shows your ignorance.
7. Threats and intimidation don’t go very far when it comes to getting people to support your movement.
8. The Founders of this country, for all of their faults and failings, were pretty smart people. You could learn more by reading their own words rather than the opinions of others.
9. It has always been those willing to work, not those willing to live off of the work of others that has made this nation great.
10. You are owed nothing.

Introducing Jubal

Take a look at my latest work project for OCP and spiritandsong.com: Jubal.

Jubal is an mobile music listening service containing today’s best contemporary Christian and Liturgical music.

Wisdom

“By three methods we may learn wisdom:
First, by reflection, which is noblest;
Second, by imitation, which is easiest;
and third by experience, which is the bitterest. “

— Confucius

It’s Game Day: Roll Tide!

Monday Morning Blue Screen of Death

Nothing like starting a Monday morning with a Windows 7 “Blue Screen of Death”… not once but twice! Normally I would take the opportunity to bash Windows, but my Mac had one of the gray screens of death last week.

Now it’s time to turn the day around and get back on track.

The Meaning Behind the Ink: Celtic Shield

A couple of folks have asked about the meanings of the tattoo on my left leg. Here is some insight into Celtic shield on the middle of my calf…  My wife and daughter often speak of me as the family protector, which brings special meaning to this symbol in my tattoo sleeve.

The shield Celtic knot is a symbol for protection. The ancient Celts used it to decorate the shields of warriors, the clothing of children, and to protect the sick.