i did it. i got glasses and can’t believe how clearly i can see again. even though i didn’t pick any of the glasses you suggested (read i didn’t pick any of the ones tabbybottoms suggested, since she was the only one who helped) i think i walked away with some that i’ll be happy with. here is what i’m working with. i guess now i really will see you later!
yes. i have to get glasses. i had my eyes examined yesterday and my vision is poor. i guess thats what happens when you stare at a computer screen all day for work and then use one at home as well. now i have to make the tough decision of picking out frames.
i see myself as more of a plastic frame guy than a metal frame guy, but its so hard to say. a while ago this guy asked the blogosphere to help him figure out a new haircut, so now i am commissioning you to help me figure out some good choices for glasses.
that’s me. i figured i would put up a picture so that you could better research glasses. i hope you come up with some good ones. i’m hoping to get some ordered by the end of the week, so get on it guys!
those of you who actually know me know that i’m a rocker through and through. i’ve always played rock music. i’ve always listened to rock music. never did i think about learning any country music on the guitar. well, i came across this little gem on youtube. its a video from ridgepoint church last year.
i totally forgot about this song or ever evening doing it. maybe i blocked it out due to bad country music karma. who knows. anyways, i’m the guitarist on the left of the video. its worth a watch since that is probably the only time you will hear/see me play country. i need to go listen to some pantera now…
i finally changed my ichat screen name last night. i’ve been meaning to do so for some time now, but just got around to it. my old one, surfinfsc, worked at the time i made it. i surfed and attended florida southern college, it only made sense. but me and surfinfsc are through, we are over. i bet you’ll never guess what my new one is (sarcasm). so much for alter-egos.
religion (re • li • gion), noun - a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
lifesyle (life • style), noun - the habits, attitudes, tastes, moral standards, economic level, etc., that together constitute the mode of living of an individual or group.
what am i getting at here? if you examine each definition closely, maybe you will come to the same thought that i did. i started to think about what people mean when they say they are a christian, hopefully without being judgmental - because i know i’m guilty of what i’m about to talk about too.
so, when i hear someone say “i’m a christian,” i immediately wonder if they are a christian by religion or by lifestyle. what i mean is, its easy to go to church, believe in god, live a good life - you know, go through all the motions. just because you believe in a religion doesn’t mean that you practice it.
sometimes i feel like i’m just going through the motions. stuck, like someone put me on their itunes playlist with a never-ending loop. other times i feel like i’m really nailing it. i read my bible, feel close to god, and do things with a better spirit. i guess its just complicated these days to be 100% consistent. but again, i think that is where the lifestyle overtakes the religion. if you incorporate your spiritual relationship into your lifestyle, consistency becomes easier, as i am beginning to discover. its sort of like trying to break a bad habit - the longer you go the easier it is to not fall back.
i think that there is an important balance between a religion and a lifestyle, whether christian or jewish or buddhist. i’m slowly starting to find the balance for my life. when i am living a christian lifestyle i am more connected to what my christian religion is founded on. for now, all i can do is strive each day to put my money where my mouth is and live the life. in the words of johnny cash, maybe its time for more people to walk the line. if we are merely talking the talk, what’s the point?
some of you may have noticed (those who actually visit my site rather than just using a reader) that i added a new feature on my sidebar a month ago. its called skribit. its sort of like a little forum in which you can tell me what you want me to write about. well, since its been up, i’ve had an overabundance of requests to write about how much i love my wife.
i’m not going to do that. that’s not really the kind of thing that goes on here around the campfire. don’t get me wrong, i do love her very much, but it does not require an entire post to say so.
a couple of days ago a real gem showed up on there. finally, something that had some real meat to it. the request was this: “write about what christmas really means to you.” i got to thinking about this and decided that christmas evolves for me every year. let me explain.
as a child, christmas is about the presents. what will i get? did mom and dad buy the cool toys? me. me. me. i got a little older and christmas was about getting 3 weeks off from school each year. when college came around and i started dating emily, christmas was about getting engaged and getting her a better gift than she got me (i’m competitive like that). this year, christmas means something i never thought it would to me. this year i get to make a difference in someone’s life. i get to impact a culture. i get to help begin to change the world.
isn’t that what the holidays should be about? spreading love and joy to everyone around you. christmas is ultimately about love. it represents the celebration of the birth of jesus, but we all knew that. some of you devout christians out there may be angry about the fact that my previous sentence isn’t what christmas means to me.
ok.
i think every day is a celebration that jesus was born on earth to relinquish us from out inevitable fate without him. one day alone isn’t enough. there is nothing magical about december 25th. his birth has made a difference in all of our lives, whether you believe in him or not. so with that i say to you, make a difference in someone’s life this year. don’t know how? well if you are local to my area, visit ridgepoint church over the next 3 weeks and you’ll be able to set off a revolutionary love across the globe.
that is what christmas means to me. being blessed enough in my own life to contribute blessings in someone else’s life. i hope that the meaning of christmas continues to evolve for me, but i pray that i never digress back to my younger years of thinking.
“if your house was burning down (not that i hope that) and you could only grab 5 things (not people) from your house, what would they be? why?”
i have pondered that question before jenna, but actually not since we have been in this house. it was really hard for me to pick 5 things. i guess i don’t have that many things around here that i care about. so after much though, here is the list:
1) paul reed smith ce 24 guitar - i chose this item because its not only my most valuable guitar, its also very special to me. ever since i started playing the guitar in my pre-teen years i have always wanted to play a prs. i have owned many guitar in my day, trading/collecting and always adding to the list, but never was able to get my dream guitar until this past summer. you can read about it here. i would be heart broken if this was left in my burning house, not only because it wouldn’t be easily replaced due to monetary issues, but also because of the sentiment it holds with me.
2) macbook - as much as i hate to admit it, a lot of my life is stored on my macbook. not only used to surf the web and blog, i use it for all of my graphics and design material. i know that a macbook could be easily replaced but i guess what i have on it is more valuable to me. software, music, my professional portfolio - all things i would lose forever. for instance, i currently have 5,545 songs in my itunes library. also, i play guitar live through my podxt live floorboard pedal. all of my custom settings that give me my live tone are stored in my editing application. who knew that a 5 lb piece of plastic could have such a grip on your life?
3) takamine ean-40c acoustin electric guitar - this was my first “real” acoustic guitar. i was never really big on acoustic style when i was first growing as a musician but grew quite fond of the instrument in later years. i had a couple of cheap acoustics before but never had anything worthwhile until college. i think that this instrument actually made me grow as a musician and challenged me to learn new styles of playing. this guitar saw a lot of good times - playing with my buddies in college, sitting around campfires on cold nights, and performing for close friends.
4) golf clubs - i have a really nice set of taylor made irons and woods that i would hate to lose. i played golf all through highschool and college, and was actually really good at the sport. i haven’t gotten to use them very much recently, but they will hopefully be used soon. i have always found golf to be a relaxing thing for me to do. i’d actually rather walk the course all by myself, and just get away from everything, than play with a group of my peers. i’d be very sad if i didn’t have the option to just get away out to the golf course and play a round.
5) my grandfather’s dog tags - a year ago this month my grandfather died. he was such a huge part of my life. he watched me grow, picked me up from school, told great stories, gave advice and watched me get married. he practically raised me when i was a child. i can say without a doubt that he had a direct impact with the man i became.
pop was a staff sergeant during world war 2. he was so proud to defend his country, he even dropped out of high school and lied about his age to join the military. a couple days after he died i was in his bedroom, just thinking and reminiscing about everything and found his dog tags in his dresser drawer. i knew that i had to have them. i’ll keep them forever, and always remember the man i loved and the man i lost.
i’m sure that wasn’t as exciting of a list as you were hoping jenna, but that’s all i’ve got. what kind of things would you guys take with you? you don’t need to get into in depth reasoning, but i’m curious to know what you would brave the flames for.
no, i’m not cheering. if you aren’t familiar with woot, i suggest you check them out. its a website that specialized in a deal a day. we have gotten great deals on usb flash drives, roombas, and other goodies over the course in which we have been following this site. now every once in a while, woot does something called a “woot-off” in which they sell an item until it sells out, then post the next item. there are some really good deals to be had. check it out here if you want, but be warned, you can get sucked into this thing before you know it.
…hooray!
