Candles

Candles
Originally uploaded by darthvedder81.

Here's a picture I took with my Canon A75—it's got a pretty darn good macro lens, if I do say so myself.

Mark Bowen—the song?

Okay this is insane.

The band "Faith No More" has a song called Mark Bowen! They even mention his name at the end! I have to find a recording of this!

If Mark ever speaks at Lux, we totally have to play this...

The Final Crawl

Star Wars
Episode III:
Revenge of the Sith

War! The Republic is crumbling
under attacks by the ruthless
Sith Lord, Count Dooku.
There are heroes on both sides.
Evil is everywhere.

In a stunning move, the
fiendish droid leader, General
Grievous, has swept into the
Republic capital and kidnapped
Chancellor Palpatine, leader of
the Galactic Senate.

As the Separatist Droid Army
attempts to flee the besieged
capital with their valuable
hostage, two Jedi Knights lead a
desperate mission to rescue the
captive Chancellor....

Click here for more.

Hiawatha Special

I finally did it. Last saturday I finally rode our glorious Minneapolis light rail system. I felt so cosmopolitan, so progressive, so logy...

We took the train from one end of the line to the other-the Mall of America to the "Warehouse District" depot on the west side of downtown Minneapolis. Needless to say, the old Mega Mall is about the most interesting stop on the way-with the possible exception of the Fort Snelling depot because they have guns. Interestingly enough, the warehouse stop drops you right off in front of "Dream Girls." Now there's a great way to bring suburban families to our exciting new "warehouse district."

According to my calculations the train has a top speed of approximately 7 mph-if going downhill with the wind. Okay, it's a little faster than that but it's no bullet train. I've ridden commuter rail systems before (Washington D.C., New York, Atlanta) and ours has more in common with Thomas the tank engine than anything else. In summary, the trains are very small, slow, and have seat upholestery recycled from a 1982 Greyhound.

Yes the trains are affordable and kind of fun to ride, in a Disney World monorail sort of way, but let's not kid ourselves—this isn't going to help with any of our traffic problems, and if you think it will you are delusional. The train, in it's current form is either a novelty, or just an easier, cleaner and cheaper way to bring shoplifters to the Mall of America.

The real problem with the train is that it takes us nowhere. The mega mall is the most exciting thing on the line, and that is just sad. Nobody can get a stadium deal done so have to be dropped off at—the Metrodome? I like our city for what it is, a nice mid-sized midwestern metropolis on par with Denver, Dallas, Kansas City and Atlanta, but I'm sorry, it's just not worth a train.

But if you really want to give the train a shot I say do it. Take the train to the city and find out what it's like to experience the Olive Garden and Borders downtown instead of in Eden Prairie! You won't regret it!

It's Science!

Well thank God the inaugural went off yesterday without a hitch. There were a number of anti-war protestors (or as I refer to them "jobless losers") throwing snowballs at Cheney during the parade, but other than that everything was smooth as silk. I guess the anti-war fruitcakes have a new slogan, sort of a sequel to "Bush Lied-Kids Died!." If I'd been in the crowd during their demonstrating, this is how I would have handled it...

Protestors: (loudly) "Hey Bush, whadda ya say? How many kids have you killed today?"

Me: (even louder) Not as many as Planned Parenthood.

But seriously, I really don't want to be lectured about the value of human life by liberals. They have no dog in that fight, and even if they did all they would be doing is upsetting their friends at PETA. Liberals caring about "kids dying" makes about as much sense as Hitler celebrating Anne Frank's bat-mitvah.

Empty Promises

I've been reading some lately from "The Message" translation of the Bible. I'm sure many of you are aware of this version. It was "written" by a guy named Eugene Peterson, and while it is by no means a substitute for a "real" translation of the Bible, it is definately a good supplement.

Today, I read from Matthew 5, and "The Message" version of verses 33-37 I found particularly interesting. This is Jesus speaking at the sermon on the mount; it is the passage on "oaths" or as "The Message" refers to it, "empty promises."

"And don't say anything you don't mean. This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions. You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, 'I'll pray for you,' and never doing it, or saying 'God be with you,' and not meaning it. You don't make you words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true. Just say 'yes' and 'no.' When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong."

I think it's important that those of us who call ourselves followers of Christ really be careful with what we say and how we say it. The reality is, God is not a God of talk but of action, and Jesus was not a man of mere words but very much a man of duty and action as well. If our jobs as Christ followers are to do as Christ has done, let's not just leave it at words.

Many people are very good at making themselves "look Christian." In other words, they can pray eloquently and freely for hours, quote scripture like crazy, read the great works of theology and just generally create a persona of religious piety. Now there is certainly nothing wrong with praying for extended periods of time, or quoting Scripture—but if our faith ends at a kind of "religious showmanship", it is not only of little value, but according to Jesus himself we are in the wrong.

If we call ourselves Christians actions must follow our words-in every aspect, even the controversial things. Are we tithing 10%? Are we showing hospitality and love to strangers? Are we swallowing our pride and sitting or visiting with new people at church? Are we living honest and transparent lives? Are we obeying God's commands?

This is not the criteria for the "super Christian club", this is what everyone who calls themselves a follower of Christ should be doing.

Worst...Keynote...Ever.

I have to say I am thoroughly unimpressed with this year's Macworld-Apple keynote. I have yet to actually watch the video as Steve Jobs, in all his infinite wisdom, decided to not broadcast it live for the first time in forever. He's also suing a popular Apple rumor site. Way to go Steve! Piss off your loyal fans, like myself, who have been following this company through thick (1998-Present) and thin (1992-1997). Based on the products introduced alone (other than the updated iLife suite and iWork) I am extremely skeptical.

The Mac mini? I remember this back when it was called the G4 cube, and we all know how that turned out. I understand the philosophy behind it: Make a dirt cheap Mac, with no frills and no peripherals to eat away at the sub-$500 PC market. The problem is that what makes the Macintosh experience so wonderful is that you get the total package (monitor and all). So PC users, I guess, are to buy this thing and then plug in some ugly, stained beige 17-monitor and voila! A Mac! No, not really. Furthermore, this only perpetuates the myth that Macs are "too expensive". They aren't. When you consider what you are getting, and the longevity of Mac products they are far better value than anything the Wintel world can produce. Apple seems to have conceded the point, and that's a shame.

The iPod shuffle is also a very misguided idea. There are tons of, low capacity flash based MP3 players out there. What makes the iPod so great has always been it's elegant, intuitive interface. It's pretty hard to intuitively navigate something when it HAS NO SCREEN. Without the interface, the iPod is just another MP3 player in a sea of crummy electronics.

Two bad products, and still no Powerbook G5. Worst keynote ever.

A review of the iTunes music store top 10: featuring Lil' Doogster

1. "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" - Green Day

According to Billie Joe of Green Day:
"my shadow is the only one that walks beside me".
According to me, Billie Joe is a sappy, pseudo-punk opportunist. I mean come on, you're a "punk" and you're singing about your "shadows" and how "My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating/Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me/'til then I walk alone"? This is the kind of thing we are used to hearing from Corey Hart, not a "hardcore" punk band.

2. "Since U Been Gone" - Kelly Clarkson

Apparently Kelly's record company decided to cut costs by forgoing the "y" and "o" completely! And I'm no "record producer", but songs do tend to sound better when you change chords every once in a while.

3. "One, Two Step" - Ciara featuring Missy Elliot

This one confuses me. Is this a dance? Is it "one step" and then "two steps" or is it one individual set of "two steps"? Or are we counting "one" then "two" and then stepping only once? Nobody really knows, and thus the song remains a mystery. Furthermore, what exactly is Ciara? It sounds like some sort of facial cream or unguent, as in: Ciara® a natural exfoliant for today's woman, or : Ciara® featuring ginko baloba and botanical oils. The music is apparently played by the same guys who came up with the sound effects for the arcade version of "Space Invaders."

4. "Get Right" - Jennifer Lopez

I'm reminded of the old "Seinfeld" joke about futons: In the day, they are an uncomfortable couch. At night, they are an uncomfortable bed.

In the day J.Lo is a not very good actress. At night, J.Lo is a not very good musician.

5. "Disco Inferno" - 50 Cent

What a timely release! I mean disco has never been bigger than it is right now...right? Am I right? Yes? Please say yes!

At any rate, I'm looking forward to a couple of years from now, when I'll be able to go into any used CD establishment and purchase a "50 Cent" album for less than the name of the artist.

6. "Lady" - Lenny Kravitz

This is, of course the song featured in the latest Disney studios animation project: "Lady and the Tramp III: Let's Be Friends."

I'm confused, is Lenny Kravitz still the poor man's Prince? Or is Prince now the poor man's Lenny Kravitz?

7. "Drop It Like It's Hot" - Snoop Dogg & Pharrell Williams

Finally, someone has written a song about everyone's favorite party game: Hot Potato. An excerpt:

"Yo! My tater is hot!
So I'll pass it along!"
Don't be caught wit da tuber!
When dey stop playin' da song!

Peace, we outta here."

8. "Yeah!" - Usher featuring Lil' Jon & Ludacris

Call me crazy, but I don't think we as a society should condone artists putting exclamations into their songs. Having "Yeah!" in a song is akin to saying
"very, very " in a song, or using the word "et cetera" in a song. Synthesizer courtesy of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome's organist, the late Ronnie Newman.

9. "Over and Over" - Nelly & Tim McGraw

About 15 seconds in to this one and you'll wish it was "over and over." Haha.

10. "Vertigo" - U2

Note to "The Edge": We know that you own a digital delay pedal. We've known for 20 years. You don't have to go proving your ownership of said digital delay on every single thing you record. How about we switch over to to the "tremolo", or perhaps the "envelope filter"? I think we'll all be much happier that way.

Doing what you can

I'd encourage anyone reading this to click here. Then click on "Giving" in the box on the right.

It will take you to the "Samaritan's Purse" website where you can make an online donation to help victims of the tsunamis (and others in need of help around the world.)

Samaritan's Purse is an awesome organization run by Franklin Graham. Unlike regular relief organizations they don't just give people food and supplies, they give people the love of Christ.

I'd give them a billion dollars if I could, but my loaves and fishes will have to suffice.

Just give what you can.

New Perspective

I just had one of the most productive and encouraging quiet times I've had in a long while...

"Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been broght from death to life;and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness."
Romans 6:13 NIV

Don't focus on the sin.

God is not surprised or shocked by our sin—it's part of our nature.

What sin is at it's core, and represents in our lives, is our unwillingness to follow God's plan.

Repentence is important, but the problem isn't solved by simply: "I need to stop doing this". The problem is really a question of servitude.

Are we serving our sinful nature (it doesn't matter how that is manifest—sin is sin) or our we giving our wholes lives to God as "instruments of righteousness"?

Chris Dugan's Cinema Gold 2004

For what it's worth (probably very little) here are my top 5 movies of 2004—and my pick for worst movie of the year just to round things out.

5. "Napoleon Dynamite"

This is a very very strange movie—I'll start off by saying that. It earns no points for it's plot or it's performances but earns my #5 spot soley on it's goodwill and charm. First time director Jared Hess has created a veritable tour de force of geekdom, a celebration of the strange and offbeat. Many who see this film will find it utterly inane and stupid, and this is a perfectly valid reaction. What makes it work for me is it's singularly focused display of subtle humor. In the comedy genre we are so used to seeing sex jokes, fart jokes, people eating poop and guys getting hit in the crotch. Here is a movie without an iota of sexually suggestive nonsense, or gross-out gags. I gather that in this day and age people just can't accept subtle humor and as such this flick will probably go over their heads. But if you're like me (and hopefully you aren't), you appreciate it when someone attempts to do something original and fresh in comedy.

4. "Garden State"

This is the best movie on the post-modern generation you are ever going to see. Zach Braff from "Scrubs" wrote, directed and stars in this drama/comedy, or "dramedy" if you will. Braff plays Andrew Largeman, an overly medicated and struggling actor who returns to his home state of New Jersey for his mother's funeral. He is almost completely detached from and uneffected by his mother's passing and instead finds himself encoutering old and new friends, each pulling him in a different direction. This movie has a lot of little jokes and funny situations (again it's subtle humor) but I was also impressed by the dramatic moments. The scene at the party after Andrew takes XTC is the best anti-drug commercial I have ever seen. When you are already taking Zoloft, Paxil and lithium what's another drug anyway?
Natalie Portman delivers here as well. Her character is not without her own set of problems but she functions beautifully as Andrew's emotional conscience. While we don't actually get to see Braff's character resolve his issues we do get the sense at the end of the movie he is on the right track. It's not a perfect movie as there is a lot of cussing and a totally unnecessary, albeit brief scene 3/4 of the way through (skip chapter 17). But if you're looking for a great take on the mentality of the 20-somethings in this generation, you'll dig this movie.

3. "The Village"

M.Night Shaymalan is 3 for 4 in my book. While most think it's his crowning achivement I absolutely hated "The Sixth Sense". I thought it was bleak, contrived and way too dark. "Unbreakable" I liked and "Signs" is one of my favorite movies of all time. Now here is "The Village" and we somehow think we know how this M.Night Shaymalamadingdong makes his movies—scary, slow moving and with a "twist" at the end. If all you're looking for is great "twist" you'll have to look elsewhere. While the "twist" is interesting (in a "Twilight Zone" sort of way) it is not enough to make the picture work. I was more intrigued by the suspense Night can pull out of thin air and his masterful control of pacing, plot and camera movement. I also appriciate the sympathy he creates for his characters, including the "bad guys" and supporting characters. Some see this movie as a morality play on the power of fear and how those in charge use fear to control us (a stab at the current administration no doubt). I see it quite differently. This is a movie about the dangers of isolation, and how creating distance from the "world's problems" doesn't make the problems go away.

2. "The Incredibles"

Pixar continues to amaze me. Their worst movie ("A Bug's Life") it's still 4x better than 95% of what Hollywood barfs at us every year. Although Disney tends to get a lot of the credit for these CG projects, Pixar actually does the hard work. And not just the techinical aspects but the conception, writing, casting and animation are all done under Pixar's roof. "Toy Story 2" ruled, but this may be the best thing they've ever produced. I'm not a huge fan of the "super-hero" genre, so I'm not the best to comment, but I think this is the best super-hero movie ever made. It's so much more than just a silly animated movie. The film's director Brad Bird gives us comedy, action, adventure, suspense and drama all in one energetic package. "The Incredibles" is PG so Pixar didn't need to shy away from too much violence or peril and make the film wimpy. Animation is such a great art form and hopefully this a sign of things to come for those of us who'd like to see more from animation than just singing woodland creatures.

1. "The Passion of the Christ"

It almost seems to obvious to put his at #1. Then again, it is the greatest movie ever made. Upon seeing it I remarked: "Hollywood should just stop making movies now. There's no point anymore. They should all play badminton or work at Target instead." It's easy to focus on the drama and emotion this film generates, which I appreciate. But what grabs me more is the technical precision seen in this movie. The cinematography, set design, costuming, and acting are all first-rate. The editing technique and skill is unreal, and I found it to be the most moving juxtaposition of images I'd ever seen. The humanity of Christ is also very striking. He wasn't some Herculean demi-god, but a real flesh and blood man, and despite all the chaos going on Mel Gibson never once loses sight of that fact. Roger Ebert gave it a favorable review, but also called it "the most violent film I've ever seen." He's full of crap. While certainly graphic, the violence is utterly and brutally real, and dosen't ever approach the gratuitousness of say, one of the "Friday the 13th" movies. The movie makes it's point abundantly clear: Christ's death was real, and every man and woman has to make a decision about it. There is no middle ground. It'll be lucky to get even one nomination by the Academy, much less "Best Picture", but make no mistake-it's both the greatest movie of 2004 and the best movie ever made.

Worst movie of the year: "Saved!"

Ugh. Where to start on this one. Being the fan of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" that I am, I've seen alot of terrible, terrible movies. While not the worst movie ever made, this is certainly a terrible, terrible movie. I have no problem with satire, even satire pointed at Christianity. But this movie is so graceless and hackneyed in it's handling of the subject it will make you gag. Can we get another message out of Hollywood other than "I'm okay, you're okay"? Probably not. I didn't need the gay kid to convert at the end or anything, but could we at least show that Christian's can coexist with "sinners" without acting like buttholes or supplanting their beliefs with moral relativism? Read my comments on IMDB for more.
Note: If you liked this movie, there is something very wrong with you.

Sickening

Disgraceful...just disgraceful.

Looking Forward

Looking forward I'll that I can see
Is good things happening to you and to me
I'm not waiting for times to change
I'm going to live like a free-roamin' soul
On the highway of our love

-Neil Young

Well, 2004 is quickly behind us and 2005 stares imposingly in our collective faces.

All in all, for me it was a better year than the one previous. Nothing drastic happened and mostly it was just learning to accept and deal with the hand dealt. I don't think this is a bad thing at all. For instance, 2004 was the first year of my young adult life where female-kind played absolutely no role in anything I said or did. No offense to the ladies out there, for I love you all—but that was very very freeing...

The year was capped off by a very good holiday season for me. Probably one of the best in years. The "give me" mentality of childhood finally seems excorcised, and as such I was able to focus on what Christmas is all about again. Ironically, gift-wise I was quite blessed. I say that not to brag, but to point out how blessed one can be when focused on the right things—and blessed with much more than "stuff."

But here is 2005, no flying cars yet but what can you do?

The new year is here and it's useless to live in the past. It's so easy to get wistful for things from the past or angry about things past and either way it's a waste of time. Our experiences are neither as good or as bad as we remember them.
Not that we can't remenisce, but we have to keep it all in perspective.

2005 looks to be exciting for any number of silly or serious reasons and I'm looking forward for what the Almighty might have in store for myself, for those I serve with and for humanity at large. I feel on edge, like we are on the verge of something and for once it's bearable and even exciting because I know God's got it in control.

The flying cars can wait until next year...