Junk Drawer Blog 2.0

More odds and ends:

• I saw the very scary and entertaining "1408" last weekend. If it's showing at a dollar theater near you, I'd highly recommend seeing it in the theater; otherwise, make sure you rent it when it hits video. It's based on a Stephen King short story and stars the always awesome John Cusack. Here's a neat interview Cusack gave The Guardian recently about his "brand" and how he sees himself in the movie system, as well as the only ten movies he's made that he thinks are any good. Interesting read for fans.
• Have you ever wondered what it looks like when goth kids descend on the Magic Kingdom? Wonder no more, gentle reader. Wonder no more. Just make sure to check out the ghoullery--I mean, gallery. (Yeah, that was a really bad pun; no, I'm not sorry.)
• Joe Carter's "Thirty-Three Things" posts--ever the source of nifty links--proffered these sites recently: the one-stop-shop for legally downloading 100 full-version computer games (granted, I only recognize three, but that's still cool); 24 tips for becoming an early riser; and 12 interesting (if not disturbing) uses for Coca-Cola, other than a refreshing beverage.
• By the way, if you're not reading Joe's blog "Evangelical Outpost," quit being a goof and get on it. He's a great blogger. Give him some love. Check the link to the right, there.
• One of the things that would probably make me too scared to write crime fiction is the off-chance that I'd be wrongly implicated in a murder or something, based on what I wrote. The other side of that bizarre coin is a writer who commits the crime and then gives it the fictional treatment. Um, is it just me, or is this guy an idiot? "Gee, I've just committed this heinous assault and murder, and I've covered up the crime--but, you know, it would make SUCH a great novel..."
• Usually, when you run across lists of "You know you're in _____ if ______" regional jokes, they're usually pretty idiotic and stereotypical. On the other hand, every once in a while you find one that sounds ridiculous and yet is verifiably 99% true. Kins has kindly pointed me to just such a list. Only one of these is somewhat exaggerated, and it's the grocery store one. (In the same vein, here's a Texas list, but it's quite a bit sillier.)
• You may remember that I recently did some thinking about the importance of sports in my life, and how my priorities should be lined up. Looks like I'm not the only one. Here's a "Boundless" article by Dr. Peter Enns from a few years back, on that very subject. Worth taking a look, even if you're not a big sports fan. (As for me? Here's what I've started doing since first picking up that question. I've worked on not letting baseball scores and standings consume my thoughts, as Dr. Enns talks about. I also made the decision to devote Sundays to God, so that means passing on watching ballgames on those days. I'm still trying to find the best way to balance the mere thing I love with my ultimate devotion to the Giver of All Good Gifts.)
• You've probably heard already that the world-renowned tenor Luciano Pavarotti has died of pancreatic cancer. Here's my favorite tribute so far to the great singer, written by another pretty great singer. And here's some video to go along with that tribute: