How Do I Look? . . .

I didn't make it to my 35th high school reunion a couple of weeks ago. In fact, I haven't been to any of the reunions held over the course of the last three-and-a-half decades. I either lived too far away or had something else already planned. Still, that hasn't stopped me from spending some time over the last two weeks checking out the photos and video from the reunion that have been posted in various places on the Internet by my classmates. The exercise has stirred up some pretty weird stuff for me.

First, there's that nasty obsession with appearance that seems to rear it's ugly head even further than usual whenever reunion time draws near. I've watched it happen with lots of friends and relatives. You know how it works. . . . diets, amped up exercise, looking for the right clothes, tanning, hair color, etc. The old appearance game that occupied so much of our time during high school gets started all over again. Maybe our adolescent insecurities don't totally disappear after all. Does the teenage pecking order really extend far beyond the teenage years? For my class, our bodies have been pounded for 35 years not only by the hardships of life, but by a growing wave of "you are what you look like" media messages that haunt us as we look in the mirror at what time and gravity have done. Our obsession with the outside has created the opportunity to select from a thick catalog of anti-aging creams, devices, and programs that promise - without actually saying it - to achieve the impossible. . . that is, to undo the effects of the fall. And lest you think that I exclude myself from this type of thinking, think again. I seriously wonder how seriously I would be taking all this if I had, in fact, scheduled a trip to my reunion. Because I wasn't there, it's easy for me to sit back with the snapshots and videos while playing the game of who looks the most like they used to and who . . . well, you know. Some of my classmates look just like they used to. . . even better! Sure, age has taken a toll on us all. But it's been kinder to some more than others. Gray hair, wrinkles, belly extension, and the absence of hair appeared to be in abundance. And then I wonder what marks the march of time has left on me. And when I turn away from the mirror to look inside, I realize how easy it is to get all caught up in the idolatrous sin of vanity.

Second, there's that strange sense that being with people you haven't seen for 35 years takes you back to who you were in relationship to others when you were all struggling with adolescent insecurities. I've only seen a handful of my high school classmates since graduating in 1974. I've kept up regularly with no one. When talk of a reunion started to stir and a Facebook group was created to get us all connected, I was in the loop. People I rarely spoke to were suddenly paying attention to me. . . and it was weird. One classmate and I exchanged emails after the reunion. She told me that on reunion day, "time stood still. . . no. . . it actually went in reverse!" I think I know what she meant. For me, memories of struggles and insecurities that no one else knew about at the time got stirred up. It was a very odd feeling as I believed these things were long forgotten. I was reminded of just how hard the adolescent years were.

I pondered all this while I was out for a bike ride yesterday afternoon. I couldn't help but bounce back and forth between my renewed sense of the difficult experience of growing up in the late 60's and early 70's, and my endeavor to understand and analyze the adolescent experience in today's world.

As I finished my ride, I contemplated some things I know. First, being a kid is difficult. At least over the course of the last sixty years in America it's been this way. Not only that, it's gotten increasingly harder. Sin is manifesting itself in ways you and I could never have imagined. Second, kids are dying to be understood, loved, nurtured, and led as they pass through the earthquake of adolescence. Our involvement is crucial. Third, we are - as always - prone to make big those things that should be so minuscule that we don't even notice them. . . like our obsession with popularity, appearance, and significance in the eyes of others. Fourth, that third thing offers clear evidence of our yearning for redemption and restoration. We look inside and outside of ourselves and we realize that things are not the way they're supposed to be. That reality sends us in some pretty sad and sorry directions. Finally, I realized with gratitude that I had a host of people throughout the course of my own adolescence and adult years who have consistently pointed me to the only source of restoration, hope, and redemption. And even in the midst of finding myself getting tripped up and tempted to pursue old ways, I'm grateful for The Way, The Truth, and The Life.

A New Era

With the Pirates trades today of Jack Wilson, Freddy Sanchez, and Ian Snell, the Pirates are entering a new era. Since the new regime has taken over, it cannot be said that they have not tried to change (for the better I hope). Need some proof? Kacie and I went to this game. The Buccos won the game over the Rangers with Ian Snell pitching, here was the starting lineup:

Bautista 3B
Duffy CF
Sanchez 2B
Bay LF
LaRoche 1B
Nady RF
Castillo SS
Paulino C
Snell P

Not one guy from that game plays for the team now. McLouth was a defensive replacement for Nady. Snell pitched a complete game. Talk about craziness.

So what are my thoughts on the trades? I liked both of them today. The pitcher (Alderson) we got for Sanchez sounds like he could be a good 2-3 starter (only 20 and doing very well in AA).

Honestly, I cannot believe we got that much for Wilson. I know most people like to believe those two are superstars, but the truth is they were not that spectacular. Wilson is great at defense, average bat. Sanchez, well he can hit for a high average, but no power and he sometimes slumps like crazy. Also both are injury prone.

It is sad to see them both go, especially when you think about games where everyone of us has seen them do something amazing. I believe though, these moves can help this team into the future, and we may actually see the beginnings of a real winning team emerge.

Birthday Boredom. . . .

When I was a little guy there was an aspect of my Dad's life that I found incredibly troubling. . . . so troubling in fact that I wondered what was wrong with him. It had to do with his birthday. Every year when his birthday was coming up we'd excitedly ask him, "Hey Dad, what do you want for your birthday?" His reply was always the same - "Nothing." That was it. In contrast to my carefully prepared and usually long list of birthday wants, this guy was boring. Nothing. We'd press him on it and then he'd cave and put something like this on his list - "All I want for my birthday is children who behave." That was a quick move from nothing to an unbelievable amount of pressure. To be honest, I'm not sure he ever got that gift.


It was different for me. I still remember with crystal-clear clarity my 12th birthday and the gift I received. It was little Cox gas-powered dune buggy. Man, did I ever have fun with that thing!

Once I became a dad who had several kids and quite a few birthdays under his own belt, I began to understand my dad's sad and sorry birthday request. When I heard myself answering the question with a quick "nothing" I not only knew that I was getting old, but I knew then that my dad was satisfied with what he already had. Not only was I satisfied, but I even found myself spouting off about "children who behave." Yeeesh.

My birthday is tomorrow. For the most part, it won't be any different than any other day. When I was a kid, I could hardly sleep the night before my big day because, after all, the next morning was my own personal Christmas in July. Tonight, I might have trouble sleeping, but that will be for other reasons!

Last night, Lisa asked me what I want for my birthday. A simple "nothing" was all I could muster up. After some thought I did add a little hint about a mileage computer for my bike, but other than that I can't think of anything else.

To be honest, if it wasn't for Facebook, I don't think I would have even had a passing thought about my birthday coming up. My wall is already filling up with birthday greetings from Facebook friends that serve as wonderful reminders. And, since July 1 the folks at Facebook have been reminding me that my birthday is coming. I've been getting these daily messages that say, "Happy (almost) Birthday Walt! This year, donate your birthday to a cause you believe in." (The crazy thing about this Facebook reminder is that the number "36" keeps showing up with birthday candles on top. Sorry guys, wrong number. I'm actually turning 53 tomorrow.)


Still, the folks at Facebook got me to thinking. Based on their prodding, I'm going to ask you to celebrate my birthday with me - which will be quite boring otherwise - by inviting you to donate to a cause I believe in. I know it's a cause you believe in as well. Over the course of my last 20 birthdays I've been the President of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding. Our ministry depends on the gifts of people like you to sustain us. It's no secret that non-profit ministries like ours see a downturn in giving every summer. This summer is no different. Add the economy to that reality and it's been a bit more difficult. Your gift isn't for me. Rather, it's to sustain our ongoing work through these leaner summer months. If you'd like to celebrate with me by donating to our CPYU cause, just click here. No wrapping paper or card is needed. All of us here at CPYU and those we serve appreciate your kindness!

Open My Eyes Lord. . . .

God gave me a great gift last week. . . a gift that forced open my eyes a little bit more. I'm hoping that this is just one step in the long process of getting them opened as wide as God wants them to be.

I spent the week in Chattanooga with my son Nate and several of his peers from our church. We were on a mission trip that took us into the projects of East Chattanooga to minister with Hope for the Inner City and New City Fellowship Church. It was a trip out of the comfort zone I call my own. . . and the comfort zone that I increasingly believe needs to be removed from my life. It was trip into a uncomfortable zone that needs to be less uncomfortable and more everyday familiar.


What did we do while we were there? We spent our days learning about the city and God's great love for justice. During the days, our crew did light construction and painting work at the Rock Island Baptist Church, a black congregation that had asked us to fix up a house they had recently bought to serve as a youth center for the teens in the neighborhood.
I was struck by the hopelessness and sense of entrapment that existed in the community. Each and every day men walked by our house carrying paper bags holding open bottles and cans. . . . even early in the morning. A group of male teens hung around and from time to time we engaged in conversation. We heard first-hand about fatherlessness as a couple of them joked about their dads being in prison. At one point, they became antagonistic towards me, blocking my van as I returned from a Lowe's run for supplies. A Korean member of our team was on the receiving end of anti-Asian sentiment from a very young child. Life in the hood came to life for our kids when one of them found two sawed-off shotguns that had been stashed in some brush we were clearing. Other members of the surrounding community applauded our efforts, thanking us for the work we were doing to develop their neighborhood.


Each evening, our group ran a Bible Club for kids at a local housing project. The response was phenomenal. Still, there were nerves as we were venturing into places we had never seen or experienced before.

I came away impressed. I was impressed with what God is doing in Chattanooga. I shouldn't be surprised. . . God always does great things. It left me with a hunger to see more of what God is doing in the world to draw people to Himself and to answer our prayers on behalf of the poor, broken, and lost. I was impressed with the kids in our group. There were 25 of us. There was an absence of drama from start to finish. I watched kids initiate relationships, prayer, and hard work. I was impressed by the leadership of our leaders. I was impressed with Hope for the Inner City and New City Fellowship.

I am increasingly convinced that these are the places where we belong, and I'm glad my son got to experience it. I'm glad I got to experience it with my son and his peers. And, I'm glad that God continues to bust through me, my prejudices, my faulty assumptions, and my bent on thinking and living like I'm better than others. I'm also convinced that we have to do a better job at CPYU of providing information and analysis on an urban culture that is not our own. Please pray that God will provide us with the people who know that culture and who have a passion for helping the rest of us understand how to know and reach that culture.

Our week in Chattanooga started with a great Sunday morning worship experience at New City Fellowship. My eyes were wet from start to finish. It wasn't pure emotion. It was emotion rooted in the fact that God was parting the curtain of my limited experience and deep-seated prejudice to allow me to glimpse how deep and wide his Kingdom is. Black and white, young and old. . . we were all together there at New City under one roof praising God and hearing His Word. My old friend James Ward - who I've followed since 1974 - was leading worship. Even though we didn't sing his "Death Is Ended" that morning, my very limited voice was able to blend with many more beautiful than my own in praise to God. When I returned home, I found James and the choir singing "Death Is Ended" right there on the New City Fellowship homepage. . . and my spirits were lifted by great and wonderful words of truth one more time. Is it possible that eternity will sound even better than this?!?



Our week ended with worship back home at our own church seven days after singing with the saints at New City Fellowship. Together, our congregation prayed these words in our prayer of confession: "I long for that Final Day when by grace I will shine beside my Savior, as you reveal his splendor to every living eye! Until then, may I never gloat at being 'better' than others, when we all fall utterly short of your holiness."

God is at work in places and ways we can't even begin to imagine. I'm praying that I would continue to see and experience these things in ways that would deepen my understanding of who He is, my understanding of who I am, and my love for all people. Let's pray the same for our kids.

Ancient Astronauts

As most of you know, I love to watch The History Channel. Especially when they have the pseudoscientific programs about 2012 or Atlantis. Well last night I treated myself to Ancient Astronauts. It did not let me down.

The Premise
Basically, these people believe that aliens came to earth, way back in the day, helped build all the impressive structures (pyramids), taught man some important lessons, and then left.

Where do they get all of their evidence? No clue really, most of it they just seem to make up. Needless to say, I think it's all quite silly, unfortunately some people probably believe these things

Pyramids
The big argument is that the pyramids were too complex to build by ancient man. Also, how come there are pyramids all over the world? This is the same argument used by lost civilization lunatics (when they left Atlantis they went to Egypt and build pyramids and then to Mexico...idiotic)

One of the guys on the show states that it would take one block being placed every nine seconds for 22 years to construct the Great Pyramid at Giza. That seems pretty unlikely, well let me check the math on it. The pyramid contains about 2.3 million blocks.
2,300,000/(22 years x 365 days in a year)=286 (I will round it for simplicity)
Then divide that by hours, and you get about 11.93 blocks per hour. I could drag this down to the second, but I think you get the point. 1 block every 9 seconds? Not likely, 12 blocks an hour more reasonable, still pretty tough though. I would say that you need to extend your period of building. The Egyptians say it took 22 years, but I would bet money that is exaggerated by a few years.

Also, why is it hard to believe that ancient peoples were intelligent enough to build these structures? Of course they would use a pyramid, it's the easiest way to stack large blocks. The idea that aliens did it is insulting to aliens. They had such power to come from far away galaxies and they decide to use limestone as their building material? Why not make it out of some crazy plastic/metal/liquid hybrid that you can build into the fourth dimension?

Lord Pacal's Tomb
Another fun thing they like to point to is the tomb of Lord Pacal at the Mayan city of Palenque.



That is hard to see, but I wanted to give you something that is closer to the original, than one of the drawings of it. Here is a very up close rendering. These nut jobs like to say that Pacal is in a rocket ship. That his foot is operating a pedal, and his hands are adjusting dials. The thing near his nose is the breathing apparatus, at the right (or bottom of the linked version) you can see the flames from the rocket. Sounds highly suspect to me.

I always think of what Professor K would tell us at PSU: I did not ask for your interpretation, I wanted your description. Archaeology is about the facts. Without knowing what the majority of the pictures really mean, it is hard for myself to say what it is. If Mayan experts see those motifs as being consistent with Pacal descending into the underworld, then they are probably a bit more correct, since that is something they study.

The Bible
Next they love to turn to the Bible, starting first with the Book of Ezekiel. I can understand why someone would turn to this book and say "wow, that is some weird shit going on there."

Ezekiel describes God coming to him in a chariot, which had strange winged beasts with four heads, and the chariot had wheels within wheels. Sounds just like every UFO sighting, right? Actually though, if you read Understanding the Old Testament by Bernhard Anderson, he explains this as a reference to the description of God's throne inside the Holy of Holies from Exodus, mixed with Zeke's own time spent in Babylon. Hmm, yes that does seem a bit more realistic, especially when you consider much of the Bible is written with constant references back to itself, or one of the older traditions.

The other Bible source they like to use is the Book of Enoch, which is another crazy book that was not placed into the Old Testament. The book deals with that line in Genesis that says that Enoch went with God for 300 years.

Apparently he goes and helps the angels battle some renegade angels who like to sleep with women and create giants. I wonder why this one was not rejected from the final draft? Obviously, angels=aliens, Enoch went to war with some bad aliens. He was like Will Smith "welcome to earf."

Anyways, this ran a bit longer than I expected. My apologies.

Funny Video

The video is of Kevin Smith talking about Twilight girls at San Diego Comic-Con. This is mostly for Kacie, since I always make fun of the series when I see her. Anyways, here are some of Smith's thoughts he posted on twitter as well. Quite amusing.

# Heads up to all 'tween girl Tweeters who've added me 'cause of TWILIGHT talk: I Tweet about anal with my wife alot. And it never "shimmers".about 11 hours ago from web
#
I've never read TWILIGHT, but anything that gets a kid to read and gives my daughter something to bond with her friends over is okay by me.about 11 hours ago from web
#
So many hate-filled Tweets directed at shrieking teen vampire fans. Why would you wanna chase girls away from Con? They roll with Cougars.about 11 hours ago from web
#
Oh the irony of Hall H-ers booing TWILIGHT fans. Like a Trekkie passing a JEDI fan and muttering "Loser." Embrace next gen of geeks, people.about 11 hours ago from web

Vacation Time

Today was my last day of work before my second vacation of the year. I get to go to court on Monday about the jumping, which means a good time in Pittsburgh, most likely a trip to Mugshots.

At the end of the week I am taking a little trip to the beach, just for two days. So that should be pretty fun. Other than that, it should be a pretty relaxing time. At least this time I will not be moving.

Sorry about the lack of posts this week, my work schedule was really weird. I am not putting up a GOTW this week. I know you are upset...

I recommend everyone picking up 311's new album, Uplifter. It's pretty damn good.

Okay, I cannot resist, here is the GOTW: Girls who are baseball fans. That is super sexy, and since the Pirates suck, might as well check out hot chicks...

Withdraw Your Paypal Funds Without A Verified Account

Not so many can avail credit or debit cards, not to mention it's a long process to have one. Unfortunately, you need to have either of these types of cards to verify your account at Paypal so that you can withdraw your funds from there. Thanks to a Mylot friend and she helped me remember this easy process of withdrawing your money from Paypal. She used it herself and she got her Paypal money in minutes! I have used it once, too when a friend sent me money from abroad and yeah, I got it in a matter of minutes, too. How fast is that?

The idea is that we can actually do online transactions even our Paypal account is not yet verified. We send funds to a friend, do an online purchase, bid at Ebay, etc. only that it is limited to $500. Same thing is true with this process. This is an Online Money Transfer site like Western Union but said to be up to 50% cheaper. The site has an option to use Paypal. It's the same thing as purchasing online then. It is also available in many countries including the Philippines, India, Thailand, Brazil and the rest of Latin America, United Kingdom and a lot more. For more information please check the site by clicking the picture below.

Smart Bro Troubleshooting: 'Limited or No Connection'

Since we are paying less, sometimes services of our chosen ISP get crappy. A couple of times I received this error: :'Limited or no connection'. Wondering how I fix mine if I receive this problem? I usually just unplug the Smart Bro thing, whatever they call that cable thing that we attach on our CPU, from the source of electricity. I then just wait for a few seconds after I close the message 'Cable unplugged' before I plug it back. I then notice that the computer logo on my taskbar is something like searching. It says 'Cable unplugged' again after a few turns but it immediately goes back searching again after like a second. It would say again 'Limited or no connection' for a second but after which it's cool. I can now able to use my internet after that. One time though it only worked the second time I unplugged the cable. Yeah, this is actually the same thing the Customer Service Rep would ask you to do if you would call them for this problem. That's according to my cousin. But yeah, I am not sure if it would work for you as well. Just give it a try I guess. (photo: courtesy of http://www.thedogatetheroastbeef.com/)

Finally Got My Jollibee Thermal Mug

Lol... Yeah, I got excited when I knew about this promo Jollibee's having wherein the fastfood chain is giving away a FREE thermal mug for their customer's 8 purchases of their value meals plus a peach mango pie for each meal. I have been looking for a thermal mug since College days since I needed it during night shifts in the hospital. However, I have not really seen the kind of design as this one which I like so much. Also now that I am about to work, I guess it is just so timely. Although I don't usually order the pie thing, I ordered 8 successive times just to have the mug. lol. Yeah, the promo will end July 31st. You can still catch up if you want one!

Troy: Lord of the Silver Bow

Last night I finished reading Troy: Lord of the Silver Bow by David Gemmell. I started out having a real problem reading the book, I kept trying to figure out who everyone was in the context of the Iliad and Odyssey. It was not until about sixty pages in that I realized that even though the names were similar, this was not just a retelling, but instead a complete reimagining.

I was just rereading the back cover of the book, and the synopsis is not really all the close to the actual book. Unless some of this stuff happens in the second and third books, then it seems the person writing the back cover did not actually read the book itself.

These are some of my thoughts, favorite moments, predictions:

-I was upset that Diomedes dies. In the Iliad he was one of my favorite characters. It was weird to see him as a child and then killed so swiftly.

-Halysia's baby will grow up to become Achilles. It seems much of Helikaon's attributes would fit with Achilles. I think she foresees him becoming the greatest warrior, surpassing Hektor (or did I imagine that)

-I enjoy that Gemmell added in some historical "facts" as well, such as the Hittites and Egyptians and the Battle of Kadesh. Sometimes though, his dates and rulers are bit jumbled, but not a big deal.

-Gershom, also known as Prince Ahmose of Egypt is an interesting character. It will be cool to see how he gets back to Egypt in order to help free the desert peoples and lead them back to the promised land.

-Xander will travel to give the message to Zidantas' daughter Thea, they will fall in love.

-The girl that Helikaon helped saved (she thought he was the god Apollo) at the beginning will somehow come back into play. It seems silly to introduce a character, only to show how generous Helikaon can be.

Well let me know your thoughts on the book, if you read it.

The Silliest Weekend Video

I know that technically it is no longer the weekend, but that does not really matter. I do not really need to explain this video, other than watch it and tell me if it's scary how well these songs fit together...

Sexual Healing. . . .

Thinking this week about the 35-year high school reunion I'm going to miss tomorrow has sparked lots of thoughts about how the world has changed over the course of that time. The human heart and "all things" that were once proclaimed by their Maker as "good" are still broken and in need of repair. That hasn't changed at all since I walked those locker-lined halls. But the expressions of that brokenness have changed.

As a culture-watcher, I can't help but notice that one of aspects of life that's changed the most is one of the greatest and most wonderful "good" gifts given to us by the Maker. It seems that there's been a spreading of the spiraling down of our sexuality. I often talk about the conversation I had with a 30-year-veteran high school teacher a few years ago. I was curious about the changes he had seen on the high school campus during his three decades of teaching. "What's the biggest change you've seen among students over the course of your years in the classroom?", I asked. "Oh, that's easy," he said. "Kids are much more sexual today. Thirty years ago I would come into the school on a Monday morning and do homeroom and lunchroom supervision. These were the times when the kids would talk about what they did over the weekend. Back then, you could see a small group of boys huddled together and talking quietly about something. I wasn't stupid nor was I deaf. I could hear them sharing stories about their sexual conquests over the weekend. When I would walk close to the group, they would stop. Now, I walk into the same school and hear the same things. But the kids talk loud. They don't care if I hear what they're saying. They don't stop when I get close. And, it's not only the boys. The girls are very sexually expressive as well." In today's world, the sexual options are greater, they are more readily pursued, there is little or no guilt or shame, and nobody cares who hears or does what. Little or nothing is wrong, and therefore everything is normal and right.


This reality hit me hard again yesterday as I started viewing the episodes of MTV's new summer hit reality/documentary series, 16 and Pregnant. In the show's initial episode, cameras follow high school students Maci and Ryan as Maci finds out she's pregnant. Maci and Ryan get an apartment and move in together. They get engaged. Their parents - at least on camera - find the entire situation to be rather humorous and even normal. Absent is any kind of serious talk with the kids. Maci has her baby.
She and Ryan continue to live together, but Ryan begins to express his desire to leave the relationship. The adorable little Bentley not only has young parents, but he's got the very real possibility of life without a dad. On the positive side, terminating the pregnancy was an option considered, but not embraced. Maci had her baby. But the overall lightheartedness and Juno-esque flavor of the show is a clear indicator of how things have changed. Sadly, our kids won't see that as they don't share our context of passing time. This, for them, is a normal part of life and the possible and even desired outcome of what has become a normal expression of the God-given gift of sexuality. . . expressions of which increasingly lack parameters and any sense of responsibility. It's a different world.

As part of the "all things" that were once good but our now Genesis 3:6 broken, human sexuality is desperately in need of healing. That last sentence will most likely be scoffed at by the great majority of people in our culture. But I truly believe that when push comes to shove and we're totally honest with ourselves, the hunger for heaven that we so desperately try to fill through random and habitual acts of physical intimacy can't, don't, and won't do the job.

For those of you who are younger, it's me and people in my generation's knowledge of a better way that prompts these thoughts and our crusades. In addition, our passion and efforts are fueled by a desire for you to bring Glory to God and great pleasure and satisfaction to you and your spouse through redeeming your sexuality. Many of us have traveled that road ourselves, and it's our own poor and sinful choices coupled with our desire for you to avoid the same that drives our message. To put it bluntly, many of us messed up, and we want you to experience and enjoy something much, much better.

What are some of the steps we can take to answer these realities with the life-giving and liberating message of God-honoring sexuality?


First, I want to encourage all parents, youth workers, pastors, and teachers to read. Read so that you can know what is happening. And read so that you know what to say in response regarding what should be happening. Here's a great place to start: My friend Dennis Hollinger recently released a wonderful book on this subject, The Meaning of Sex: Christian Ethics and the Moral Life. Dennis writes these words in the book's introduction: "We live in a sex-crazed world. A day in the life of an American or European can hardly go by without one encountering numerous sexual images, innuendos, or appeals. In marketing clothing, cars, computers, and cameras there is invariably some appeal to our sexual instincts. The nightly fare of family TV is filled with sexual references and implied or fairly explicit sexual acts. Sexual behavior that was hidden in the media closet a decade ago is now quite common. One out of every four Internet hits is pornographic in nature. The expectations for a casual relationship often assume sexual relations. Surely a visitor from another planet would say of this age, 'Sex is everywhere and always on their minds.' But we are simultaneously a sexually confused society. . . . what is at stake is the integrity of our personal being, the hope of our marriages, the well-being of our children, the authenticity of the church, and the fabric of society." Dennis goes on to lay out in a compelling and convincing manner a framework for understanding and enjoying our sexuality to the fullest.


We're so concerned about this reality at CPYU that we're doing all we can to address it in relevant and meaningful ways. Recently we invited Jason Soucinek to join our staff as an associate. He lives in Spokane, Washington and is a graduate of Whitworth College. Upon completing his education he worked several years in advertising until the Lord brought him into full time youth ministry. He is now the director of a relationship and media education program, iPULSE, which is dedicated to seeing students enter into an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ and challenge the sexual status quo of the current youth culture by saving sex until marriage. In its first two years of operation, iPULSE, which uses today’s popular media to deliver the abstinence until marriage message to students, has reached more than 7,500 students using several multi-media platforms. With a passion to challenge the sexual status quo of the current youth culture, Jason strives to create resources that encounter teenagers “in the trenches” while also helping bridge the generation gap between parent and teen. I love Jason's heart. Even more, I love the life-giving and liberating message about sexuality that Jason communicate to kids. They need to hear it, and they can't hear it enough. A few weeks ago, we decided to make it easier for churches, schools, and other organizations to tap into Jason's expertise by making his seminar's more affordable. You can learn more about that and how to book Jason to speak to your group here.

We're hoping for better things for the emerging generations. But let's just not hope. . . let's do.

Girlfriend of the Week

I was watching Supernatural tonight and I came to a pleasant realization: that show has some hot chicks on it. Not like super model hot, but more like "wow, I think I could bang that chick." So, this week's GOTW goes to Sandra McCoy, who played the Crossroads Demon in a few episodes.

It's That Time Again

This week and the past weekend have went by way too fast, and as you can tell there have been no real posts from me. In fact, the last post was well thought out in my head, unfortunately being up since 4 a.m. did not help out the actual writing.

Anyways, let me give you a recap of the things I have been doing this week and whatnot.

Brüno
I saw the movie over the weekend, and as you can tell it must not have been good enough to get its own post. Do not get me wrong, at times the movie was hilarious, but some of the other stuff was not all that good. It's about what I expected, if you watched Da Ali G Show, you'll agree that Brüno was the weakest character.

The highlight of the movie is the ending, watching drunken rednecks freak out about their hero being gay is hilarious (especially the fat dude who is so angry, he is close to tears.) I did not like the Ron Paul bit, they try to make him look bad, yet he reacted how many people would (even if they were extremely tolerant) if some guy started taking his clothes off and tried to seduce them.

Anyways, the movie is funny, just nothing near the level as Borat.

Poker
On Saturday night, Kacie and I went to my grandparents house to play poker. I ended up winning the final game by taking Kacie, Pap, and Gram out in one hand, allowing me to score all the money ($22, I'm rich). Yes, I may have tricked Kacie into calling, but whatever, I never claimed to be ethical.

Work
The worst thing about working at 6:30 a.m.: Getting up at 4:45. That shit sucks. Especially on Wednesday, I got up at 4 and had to be at Indiana for a meeting. I hate meetings. Sadly this is specific as I can get about the Place That Shall Not Be Named for Fear That They Will Fire Me.

All-Star Game
I sat up watching the home run derby. It was pretty dull this year. I went to bed after the first round, Berman and Morgan made me ill. The All-Star game was probably a good one, but I had to get to bed. It was ridiculous that they did not get started until after 9. Also, asking the President if he wants to stick around in the booth was annoying. He's the President, he has things he needs to be doing, not being the color man for Fox's baseball broadcasts.

The Flash
I recently read the two Flash trades that the Comic Swap included into my order. Apparently they reprint the Morrison/Millar run on the title, but were from the late 90s or something. They sucked.

Why does Grant Morrison have a thing for words that have no vowels and odd letter combos? I think he comes up with names by just randomly hitting the keyboard, like so: aoangsd and then replacing the vowels with Z,X,Y: Zxyngsd, the newest Batman villain.

You can tell Millar is helping out on the book because there are all kinds of random pop culture references in there (sadly most of them are ten years old by now, and it's hard to remember them). Oh look, Wally is sad and mourning, let's give him a goatee, longer hair, and a flannel. Pearl Jam rocks!

Powerball
I keep playing, I still have not won the jackpot. I will let you know when I do though.

This is Zaira Nara. No clue who she is, but she is hot and her name rhymes (I think)

Language of Stupidity

There are three phrases that piss me off. Before I tell you what they are, let me first explain that I completely understand that language evolves over time and sometimes popular usage becomes the actual usage. For example, everyone knows that the phrase "to pull an upset" is relatively new (after the horse Upset beat Man o' War).

I just feel that people using the incorrect term does not mean we should change the definition to fit their stupidity. I am not saying I am perfect, and hell, I know for a fact that I have used these on occasion. However, that does not make it right, and after I say these things, I usually kick myself for it.

Itch
This is one thing I know that I never say: "My back is itchy, please itch it for me." I absolutely hate this expression. If you have an itch, you scratch.

The online definition has an informal meaning, which basically allows people to be mentally challenged.

Literally
I know I have probably said something like this "she was literally 500 pounds!" You may be thinking what is wrong with that? Unfortunately, literally can be used to mean actually, but not with an exaggeration. If you are talking about a girl you banged, and unless she really weighed 500 pounds, you should not say literally.

Ironic
This word annoys me. Most people say something is ironic when they really mean it is a coincidence. For example, this is not ironic: "Oh my god, we have the same birthday!"

I believe George Carlin put it best about irony in his book Brain Droppings.

If a diabetic, on his way to buy insulin, is killed by a runaway truck, he is the victim of an accident. If the truck was delivering sugar, he is the victim of an oddly poetic coincidence. But if the truck was delivering insulin, ah! Then he is the victim of an irony.

That is why Carlin was a genius and I am a moron.

What Has Life Done To Us? . . . .

Thirty-five years. That's how long it's been since I graduated from Upper Dublin High School. I remember back then how older people would say that time flies. That certainly wasn't my experience. Now, I hear myself telling younger folks the same thing. It's true. That certainly is my experience.

This Saturday several of my UDHS Class of '74 classmates will be gathering to catch up. Sadly, I won't be able to make it to my reunion due to a prior commitment. A bit of the shock and awe that I'm sure I'd be experiencing along with everyone else has been tempered by the advent of Facebook. We've been given access to each other's pictures and stories. That's not only been fun, but we've got a sense of what's coming. If I had been able to make it, my classmates' familiarity with my most recent pictures would spare them the need to ask who I was. And then, after telling them, they wouldn't have to ask. . . "Walt, is that really you?" Yes, time and gravity have an amazing effect on the human body. Life also has an effect on the human body and the person that lives inside.

Even though I won't be at my reunion, the occasion has gotten me thinking about the changes we experience in life and how those shape us. I don't remember the specifics of the graduation speeches and messages I heard back in June 1974, but they've echoed over and over again for me in the dozens of similarly themed and highly optimistic graduation messages I've heard over the course of the 35 years since. Everybody has the world by the tail. Things are going to get better. But then life hits us. Now, all these years later, a host of graduates from 1974 could stand at a podium facing the emerging generations to spread a more realistic message that would begin with the words, "Let me tell you all something about life. . . " The world is broken. And try as hard as we can on our own power to fix it all, it just keeps breaking around us. When we begin to see our own personal stories in light of God's great and grand story, we begin to understand why and how that is.

I was reminded of this the other night when I finally gave in to the suggestion of my kids to watch Clint Eastwood's film, Gran Torino. Somewhere along my movie-watching way, I boxed Eastwood into films where he's toting a huge revolver, socializing with an ape, or just being plain-old Eastwood tough. Not this time around though. This film drew me in and moved me to tears. If you haven't seen it I don't want to give it away. I can tell you that Eastwood's bigoted and hardened character, Walt Kowalski, has had alot done to him by life. And, he's done his share of doing. But this is a movie about seeing one's life in a bigger context than one's own story. As a Christian watching the film, that message was very, very clear. And in the end, what was done came undone as Walt Kowalski's life story was swallowed up into something bigger and greater. You need to see this film.

I can remember very clearly thinking about my future back in 1974. George Orwell's 1984 was light years away. Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film, 2001: A Space Odyssey, was about a year so far into the future that we couldn't even imagine it. . . . a year that was, well, eight years ago! While life has thrown quite a bit at me - and I've chosen all too often to embrace the ugly stuff - I am grateful to God for inviting me in to something much, much bigger. Nothing life does can even come close to undoing the redemption that has begun, and will continue, to undo what's been done. No fault of my own, I've been swallowed up into a bigger story, and for that, I'm grateful. To God be the Glory!

Not-So Silly Weekend Video

Here is the new, full length trailer for District 9. Who wants to see it with me? The movie, not the trailer...

Girlfriend of the Week

This week's GOTW goes to Starfire, who is some alien in DC Comics. Does it really matter what her powers are or where she is from? She's hot. That's why Dick Grayson likes to bang her...plus she has some kind of power where she heats up like the sun, not bad to have around during the winter, keep those energy bills down.

Garbage. . .

We didn't know we had a mess until it was moving day. Actually, we knew full well that we had a mess. . . we just kept ignoring it until moving day.

It was the year before I was married and I was living in a rental home with three other single guys. We were existing in a state of forced thriftiness as none of us had much money. A couple of us were doing campus ministry. One was a student. The other was just looking for the best way to save money. The house was nice. It even had a detached two car garage. . . which came in handy. . . or so we thought.

We were cheap. Since garbage collection cost money, we put it off and put it off. We figured that between the four of us, someone would know somebody who would be willing to combine our garbage with theirs once a week. But we never got around to it. Instead, we kept filling the large plastic bags and stacking them in the garage. Not only were we stockpiling our own trash, but the constant flow of visitors and pizza parties most likely multiplied our stuff x 2. When moving day arrived and we were all parting ways, we had to face reality. We had literally filled one side of that garage with what had become several truck loads of bagged rotting and stinking garbage. Suddenly, there was no looking the other way. We had to deal with it. The pile was imposing and after loading all our stuff into separate trucks, nobody had the time, energy, or ambition to undo something that was going to make the landlord flip.

I thought about this earlier this week when I read the new story about the father and son from Mastic Beach, NY who found themselves facing $20,000 in fees and fines after authorities removed about 42 tons of trash from their property. As I was reading the story I shook my head in disbelief, wondering how a couple of guys could be so stupid. Then I remembered that I knew exactly how a few guys could be so ignorant.

Not only was I part of a similar instance of ignorance, denial, and foolishness myself almost thirty years ago, but I realized I've been pulling the same stunt ever since. Filthy smelly sin gets pushed aside, hidden, and ignored. "Some day," I say to myself, "I'll get around to dealing with it." But someday never comes.

The same newspaper ran a front page story about a former school secretary who worked at a local Catholic school. A 47-year-old woman, she stole more than $163,000 in tuition money from the school. She knew what she was doing. She knew it was wrong. She kept on doing it. The judge who sentenced her to 1 to 2 years in prison told her at sentencing, "You didn't stop doing this on your own. You were caught." She was filling her "garage" with "garbage," and somebody came along and pulled up the door to expose her filthy little secret. Stories like that sure do make you stop and think, don't they? They make us wonder about the secrets we harbor because we just haven't gotten around to dealing with them. Someday never comes. . . until the someday it's all exposed.

The Scriptures are filled with admonitions to put off our old selves and to put on Christ. The Apostle Paul tells us to "put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature" (Col. 3:5). What follows in the next verses is an inventory of garbage that tends to get heaped up in our garages. The great wonder of Christianity is that Christ does this for us.

For those of us Christ-followers who are older, you know what I'm talking about. We've all been there. . . and still live there. And, we've got to deal with it. We should be concerned about ourselves. But we should also be concerned about the generations that follow. I'm seeing a growing number of those who are younger who embrace the label "Christian" who don't even bother to hide the stuff in the garage. Now remember, those who hide it are no better than those who don't. But this changing reality is indicative of a subtle cultural shift that we must see, understand, and address. Young Christians are now sinning boldly, and they don't seem to care. Or, many of them are proudly wearing the garbage like clothing, not even knowing that what they're wearing stinks. And when they're told, they still don't care.

The answer to all this. . . for me, you, and those who are younger. . . is to be washed daily (as one of my seminary professors used to tell us) in the Word. I believe that more and more each day. In his latest book, Uncommon, Tony Dungy offers a simple bit of advice that has served to remind me of the answer to the problem. In his "Keys For Your Full Potential" Dungy says, "What is down in the well comes up in the bucket." I think the answer lies in what for years has been called "Christian Education." That's what fills the well as it is pursued individually and engaged in corporately as the Body of Christ cares for its young and for each other. I don't think it's any coincidence at all that as Christian Education has faded as a priority, wells have been filled with nothing but fluff and garbage. Then, we see the aforementioned cultural shift picking up steam.

We've all got to deal with the rotting pile of stench in the garage. And, I'm hoping that we'll help the emerging generations sharpen their declining sense of smell.

Stop That or You'll Go Blind!

Not a whole lot has been happening lately, so I figured I would just point out some blogs you should be reading. These are all at the side, but maybe some of you just never bother to check them out.

The first one I need to direct you to is I know nobody asked but..., written by someone I know from my days of going to Mugshots. He is a funny guy and has an opinion on just about everything happening in the world. If you know him, you can pretty much hear him saying these things. So maybe I am biased, but you should check him out.

Next is my friend James. Many of you know him, and if you remember he was the inspiration for me to start this blog. Even though he does not post often enough, every time he does post something it is great. Imagine this blog, but written by someone with talent.

Last, but not least: Schindler's Pull List. I know what you are thinking, "I have never seen this over on the side." And you are correct, the guys at batman obviously finally changed the name of their blog.

It's funny, I do not remember how long ago it was when Jason from over there started commenting on here (I thought it was one of the multiple Jason's that comment here anyways, until I clicked on his profile). For awhile I was pretty much the only person commenting, and now look at them. Getting free comics sent to them, tons of readers, a nationally syndicated radio show (okay I made that one up, but they have a pretty sweet podcast) and now a brand new blog not affiliated with any specific character. Congratulations to Nick, Jason, and Mark for such an awesome site, and for helping me waste more time on the internet.

Also, if you go there, they kept the banner they made of my site for their friends section. Jason thought it would help bring traffic here, sadly I think most people get scared and think it must be some kind of homosexual porn site.

Joker and City of Dust

I recently read Brian Azzarello's Joker and Steve Niles' City of Dust. Both of which were awesome.

City of Dust
Remember when I said that I wanted to check out more from Radical Comics? Well I finally decided to pick up another one of their books and I cannot say enough about them as a publisher.

The story follows Phillip Khrome, a police officer in the future where stories and imagination are outlawed. He was raised by the government because at a young age he accidentally turned his father in for telling him a bedtime story.

Unfortunately, someone has created some of the beasts from our older stories (vampires, werewolves, etc...) and they are preying on people. Phillip must figure out who is doing it and then learn how to stop them.

I will try not to give anything away, and just tell you that the art and writing is fantastic. If you are a fan of future dystopian society stories, this is a good one. One of the things I like though, the book does not take us down an Orwell path, showing us how bad things are for everyone. In some ways you get to see how good things are because without stories, there is no religion, but also imagination and creativity are pretty much gone...

Joker
Many people have told me Joker is an awesome book, including my friend Travis who does not even read comics. Well those people were right, and I am a moron for not picking this up sooner.

Grant Morrison always writes a creepy, very weird Joker. Azzarello goes a different route. He captures some of that Ledger Joker, but also brings back how the Joker was a guy who also ran the criminal underground in Gotham.

He gets released from Arkham and decides to take back the streets. Unlike those old stories where he had crazy plans and silly methods, this time he skins people alive, shoots random people and just scares the living hell out of everyone.

Batman only plays a small role in the book, showing up towards the end, and he gives a great line, which I will not spoil for anyone.

Anyways, let me know what you thought of either book. And, if you are reading any of the other Radical Comics, let me know how they are.

Fall of Thanes

Fall of Thanes is the final book in Brian Ruckley's Godless World Trilogy. As I said before, the books can be very dark and bloody. This one did not disappoint. Unfortunately though, it gets kind of slow for awhile, but then when it picks back up it pretty much grabs you by the throat and forces you to keep reading. There will probably be some spoilers in here.

We find ourselves in a world that is falling apart, the villain is causing almost everyone to go mad and just kill each other. Ruckley shows how everything is falling apart and how the villain is in the center of it all. For most of second book and beginning of the third book, we get the idea that one of the more powerful races will stop him.

Then we find out that he (his name is Aeglyss by the way) might be more powerful than them. At that point there seems to be very little hope. There are two characters who seem to be immune to Aeglyss' mental decay throughout the world, Kanin and Taim, polar opposites.

Kanin seeks revenge for the death of his sister, he blames Aeglyss for her death. He is so angry that he is blinded by rage and has almost the inner power to force others to listen to him by sheer will. Taim on the other hand stays away from madness because of the intense love for his wife, and his duty to protect Orisian.

My only complaint with the book would be how they dealt with Shraeve. She starts out as this badass warrior who cannot be defeated and her mind is sharp enough to not be under Aeglyss thrall. By the end though, he has control over her and she battles with Taim to the death.

Throughout the book we hear about her quickness and the quickness of Varryn, the non-human helping Orisian, it seems they are destined to battle, but then she pretty much takes him out quickly and moves on to fight Taim.

My favorite moment was the battle between Coinach (the shieldman of Orisian's sister) and Kale (the High Thanes shieldman). Coinach is younger, but is said to be very skilled. Kale is considered one of the scarier shieldmen (you probably have to be pretty hardcore to be guarding the most important person in the land).

The fight does not last very long. Coinach defeats him with ease and then delivers a pretty funny line "I had heard he was better than that." I do not know why, but that just made me laugh when I read it.

Anyways, I highly recommend the entire series to anyone that wants to read something that is dark and full of good ole bloodshed. The characters are very likable, even after they do some not so good things. The beauty is though, Ruckley is not afraid to kill them off, which helps keep you on your toes.

Should I Retire? . . . .

Did you happen to catch the cover of yesterday's Parade Magazine? It was right there in my Sunday paper yesterday morning where it always is, buried in the weekly stuffing made up of colorful sale flyers advertising all kinds of stuff I'm told I need. The words splattered across this Fourth of July weekend edition caught my eye: What Makes America Great. The featured headline hasn't yet made me open Parade and read the article, but it did get me thinking further on a thought-track God's been leading me down for several months.

I would guess that while our answers might differ, most Americans would include the word "freedom" somewhere in their own personal explanation if they had been given the task of writing the Parade article. I certainly would. The freedom to worship, to examine ideas, and to express one's beliefs rank up there at the top of my list.

But what was sparked in my mind was a more negative response. Granted there are many things that make America great. But those very things that we say make us great can also be at the root of our demise and even failure if we don't exercise prudence and responsibility with the blessings and freedoms we've been given. At times, we abuse our freedoms when we aren't responsible stewards of what we've been given. Lest we forget, responsible stewardship starts and ends with Kingdom living. What God values as great is not always the same as what Americans value as great.

That Africa trip is sticking with me. When I looked at Parade's cover I thought about the great economic freedom we've been given, and the blessings that have been piled on many of us. Then, I thought about the new seminar I'm preparing for this fall's National Youth Workers Conventions. It's about teenagers and narcissism. In fact, I did an interview last week where the interviewer asked me about the most alarming trends present in today's youth culture. I started with narcissism and we never moved on to anything else. Which got me thinking about one of the books I'm reading right now - Tim Keller's Ministries of Mercy: The Call of the Jericho Road. Keller writes about our human nature and the things we choose to focus on in life: "God's 'center' is his own glory; he does everything because it is consistent with his own righteous, holy, perfect nature. We, however, 'center' on our own glory. Therefore, there is an inevitable collision between God and man." What I'm realizing is that what makes America great, could be the very thing that makes America and Americans bad. We have because God has given. Yet, we hoard because we're focused on ourselves.

If this wasn't enough, our youth pastor, Troy, preached yesterday. It was one of the best and most challenging sermons I've ever heard. It was the first in a series of sermons on money, possessions, and Kingdom-living stewardship. Troy's text was Luke 12:13-21. It's the passage we know as the Parable of the Rich Fool. Give it a read. As Troy read the text the cover of Parade came to mind. My house came to mind. My kids came to mind. My greed came to mind. Africa came to mind. Our Compassion child Ibrahim and the squalor he lives in came to mind. Then, there was this fact from the parable. . . that a "man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." In addition, there was the reminder of a more Godly perspective on life. We store things up in preparation to take care of ourselves in the future. We get enough, and then we say "take life easy; eat, drink, and be merry." I couldn't help but think, is retirement as we know it, embrace it, plan for it, look forward to it, and practice it here in the U.S. biblical? I don't think so.

Something happened during our time in Africa that was like throwing gasoline on the simmering fire of questioning and trying to figure out my greatly-blessed lot in life. Over the course of our trip, several of us confessed to the struggle we were having with our origins. We were asking things like "God, why was I born where I was born? Why were my kids born where they were born? And why have we been given so much?" There was some guilt as well. The answer to these questions were given to us in a very obvious can't-miss-it manner. We were sitting at the Compassion project in the midst of the Mathare slum. I described that horrid place back on June 3. The pastor was talking to us about the work they were doing there in Mathare and thanking us for our interest and support. At one point he told us that he wasn't going to beat around the bush but be very direct. "We pray that God will continue to bless you with great riches. We know that if God blesses you with great riches, you will pass it on to us and continue to support our work."

That's why I was born where I was born. And America will only be great if I understand and live out that fact. Otherwise, the God I claim to follow and serve will one day look at me and say, "You fool!"

Girlfriend of the Week

This weeks GOTW belongs to a girl I recently saw and wished she was not an evil robot. Well I am sure she is not an evil robot in real life, well if she is I am okay with that, because she is still hot. Anyways, the girl I am talking about is Isabel Lucas. She was in the new Transformers movie, and she was definitely hot.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

I went to this movie with very low expectations. I mean, lets be real here, it's Michael Bay. I know what I am getting, right? Lots of explosions, silly plot, but pretty entertaining, like the first one. Unfortunately, this one took all the crap I hated from the first one and decided to expand from there.

I was going to rant and rave about all the things I hated, but here is a nice little site that does it for me, yay for laziness!

Aside from everything that site makes fun of, the only thing I can add is that the scenes in Egypt and Petra were cool to see since I have been to both, unfortunately they decided to throw a map away. The pyramids are nowhere near Petra (about 300 miles away I think), plus the pyramids are beyond the horizon line from a large body of water, so you could not aim a gun at Devastator like that.

I also do not remember that many chickens running around everywhere when I was at either place...




While I was inside the place where they were at Petra, I never thought to blast through the wall to see if any dead robots were in there (although, I do not remember there being some weird painting in there, but that could just be my memory).

On a side note, look at that sexy guy in the last picture. That is a guy who should be running around the desert, not Shia...

My Insane Mind

So the other day I wrote a lie nice piece of fiction about getting attacked by a bear. It reminded me of something funny I did a few years ago, The Uncle Carl story...

For those of you not familiar, back before Facebook, Twitter, and whatever else there is out there, we had AOL IM. I used to put up funny away messages, sometimes movie/music quizzes, and sometimes I would do little rants. Those rants would eventually lead me to start a livejournal page, which would then lead to me writing this page. And that is the history of my blog, yay.

Anyways, one night back in January of 2005, I was about to head over to Champs because I did not feel like playing poker at my place and that was what everyone wanted to do. This was also the period in time that I knew all the bartenders at Champs (way too many free drinks) and was trying to bang at least two of the waitresses. Anyways, before I left I wrote a little away message saying something "My Uncle Carl died, heading to Champs."

I get over there and really think nothing of it. After a few beers I receive a text message from Jason asking me if I am alright. I think he is retarded and say yes (I have completely forgotten about the away message), but then a few minutes later he shows up. He wants to know if I need to talk about my uncle. I start laughing and explain to him that I have no Uncle Carl, it was a joke. As he leaves, I tell him to not say anything to anyone while they are playing poker.

When I get home, I find out that Shellie was planning on buying me a muffin basket. I had to come clean and that caused me to write this.

Needless to say, I did it again by worrying my family. Apparently they did not read the small print in my bear post, and they were frightened for my safety. I really do not think I would get home after being attacked by a bear and sit down to write a blog post about it. Okay, yes I would...

Burn Notice Season One

I finally decided to stop being stupid and watch the first season of Burn Notice. I have never seen an episode, but many people have told me to check it out. I finished watching it last night, and I must say that I am tempted to rush to the store to buy season two.

The show is about Michael Westen, a spy who has received a burn notice, which means he has been cut off. No job, no history, no anything. He is stuck in Miami (which he explains at the beginning of each episode). To make money he takes on little odd jobs, all while working on figuring out why he was burned.

Westen is a very funny character, usually giving us little bits of information such as "when breaking into a house, it pays off to make it look like you should be there or you are confused. Grab a yogurt from the fridge, that helps." Yeah, I paraphrased, but you get the idea. Watching him create lies and backstories is always amusing. Plus we get to see actual spy stuff, which is cool since you never get to see that sort of thing in a Bond movie (unless parkour and Texas Hold 'Em are spy activities).

Also, the show has Bruce Campbell. Do I really need to say anything else? Okay, how about another picture of Gabrielle Anwar, who plays Michael's ex-girlfriend...