One More Linky-Love

One more for the road.

• Want a free membership to the NRA?
• Sheep + LED lights = Living Art
• It's almost Easter--time for PEEPS!
• Rhys Ifans may be joining the cast for the final Harry Potter film. I wonder if he'll have any scenes involving suspect yogurt. (That's a Notting Hill reference, philistine.)
• "When they came for my dish detergent, I said nothing..." (Alternate line: "When Cascade is outlawed, only outlaws will use Cascade.")
• Today, teleprompter. Tomorrow, Skynet. Just you watch.
• A fun video for both Twitterers and anti-Twitterers. (Of course, if you twitter and follow me, you'll have already seen this.)
• Related: The lovely Ingrid Michaelson's impromptu song about Twitter.
• Jason Segel is working on the newest Muppet movie script, but he already has his critics.
• An AIG exec quit a week ago. His resignation letter is here. Good for him.
• My favorite version of the classic silent film "Metropolis" is on DVD? Awesome.
• Random BSG links: Finale review from Time, TV Guide recap, Ron Moore answers questions, Adama discusses the "Plan"-ned TV movie, cool behind-the-scenes interview with Starbuck, and Ellen Tigh comments pre-finale.
• Lex Luthor wants a bailout. (Funny, but with bleeped language.)
• Best sandwiches in America? We'll just have to verify this...
• For the gamers: Top 25 video game spoilers.
• Neat! New source for indie Christian music--IndieHeaven.
• Abandoned blog post idea: to copy this article, and change all the references to refer to Guantanemo Bay, just to see what the reaction was gonna be.
• I'm celebrating "Record Store Day!" Who's with me? (Conveniently, "Vinyl Edge Records" is just around the corner from me!)
• Neat article on indie filmmaking in a rough economy.
• Here's an article about "Starbucks spirituality"--reaching out to people in the real world.
• Five reasons to study theology.
• Am I a Christian hipster? From the looks of it...probably not. Aside from our mutual feelings on Pat Robertson, TBN, and christian kitsch, the hipsters and I seem to part ways on more than a few things. The definition of hipster here seems heavily Emergent-based, and I'm not down with those kids doctrinally. What can I say, i'm old. Put Christian-hipsterism on the "Murtaugh" list for me.
• I kinda love this site. Even more than Lark News. Especially for articles like this.
• Here's a great word about the current economic climate from Pastor Mark. (Related to this, I heard someone on the radio Sunday night say that this economic downturn could be a great blessing for the Western church because it will help us reorient and recalibrate our understanding of prosperity, giving, and contentedness. I couldn't agree more.)
• A really touching article about the tension of holding to a Biblical view of homosexuality while struggling with those desires. Sexual temptation is a sin-nature problem, no matter its form or kind. I believe there are Christians who really struggle with same-sex attraction as part of their old-nature wiring, and it's our job as the children of God to provide love and support to our brothers and sisters in this struggle.
• Great article on Bible reading plans for slackers. That's me. It's prolly you too. I'm starting this today.

Men, This is for You (Us)

Men, this video's over an hour long, but we desperately need this. Sit down, brace yourself, and watch.

End-of-Week Entertainment

I'll be gone tomorrow, so here's something fun for you to do.

An imagination exercise:

1) Take a poor man's Michael Rappaport.

2) Make him a conservative/libertarian.

3) Make him insane.

4) Make him alarmingly angry and prone to fits of screaming.

The result? You should have something like this guy.

Every video of his I watch, I find myself agreeing to some degree, and still be terribly frightened.

Happy weekend, gang.

Tuesday Video View: Wear Yer Green Edition

You knew it was coming. But I have to do it. It's like the law of the internet.

(Language warning on this first one, FYI. But i can't NOT use it.)

Weekend Linky Love

Gotta clear out the links, so some of these may be old--but if you haven't seen them, they're new to you, right?

• You may have seen this around Christmastime. I thought it was kinda clever. Watch it all the way through.
• Background stories on Muppet characters.
• The second member of the band Korn to become a believer. Cool.
• Lousy creationist arguments. Hey, at least they're not as bad as the banana video.
• This is a fascinating idea. Kiva is an organization that makes micro-loans to businesspeople in developing countries.
• J. D. Fortune, the winner of "Rock Star: INXS" and newest frontman for the gr`oup, claimed that the members of INXS left him stranded and homeless at a Hong Kong airport. Now that the band has refuted it, JD is changing his tune.
• Seriously, have you listened to the new U2 album? It's really good.
• If you've never heard of Jeff Dunham, he's a hilarious ventriloquist, and certainly one of my favorite comedians. Here's a taste. (Some language, FYI.)
• Steven Page is leaving Barenaked Ladies? That's a bummer.
• A couple of weeks old, but still makes me laugh--a Schoolhouse Rock-themed take on the Porkulus Bill.
• New Harry Potter trailer!
• New Wolverine trailer!!!
• GameDaily presents the 25 worst comic-book video games.
• 100 TV and movie themes in less than 10 minutes.
• Company!
• Kermit covers Talking Heads.
• From Manders: Heh. Yes, yes we are.
• I'm celebrating Record Store Day. Who's with me?
• The end of BSG. Time to say goodbye.
• Looks like we're waiting a bit longer for Thor, Cap, and the Avengers.
• Song of the day: A trippy cover of Madonna's "Borderline" by the one and only Flaming Lips.
• A great photo spread from Vanity Fair featuring comedic actors and filmmakers.

And finally, an incredibly moving poem:

On the Subject of Diet (and non-diet) Food

I'm experiencing a renewed commitment to taking care of myself over the last week or so. I'll tell you more about it later. But in the meantime, I feel I should share with you one of my great weaknesses in the area of cuisine. That way, y'all can pray for me. Or buy me nuggets. Either way.

Ten Signs You Watch Too Much "Battlestar Galactica"

10. You realized that calling it "BSG" rather than the full name saves you an average of ten hours a week--because you mention it that much.
9. You're simultaneously attracted to and afraid of blonde women in red dresses. (More than normal, I mean.)
8. The words "frakking" and "oh my gods" escape your lips on a regular basis.
7. You size up your coworkers and decide who would be the best CAG in your workplace. (Obviously, it's you, with your clear leadership skills and killer instinct.)
6. Your Facebook profile list of favorite bands includes "Kara Thrace and Her Special Destiny."
5. You've started wearing black tanktops over your tee-shirts.
4. You wrote in "Laura Roslin" on last year's presidential ballot.
3. You cut all the corners off your note paper. And post-its. And books.
2. You end mealtime prayers with "So say we all." And then repeat it, louder and louder, until everyone at the table is shouting it.
1. You write a top-ten list that only a handful of your friends will appreciate, because you're geeking out about only having three more hours of the series, starting with this Friday's episode.

How I'm Doing (Short answer: Better.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLr8OOunmzo

I've got nothing to give you.

I'm overwhelmed almost to the point of total mental shutdown. I'm being pulled at and demanded of in every direction, and I'm just drained dry.

I can't do anything for you for the rest of the week, and probably some of the next. Pray for me, those of you who pray.

I'm not the only one / Staring at the sun...

A radio station in New York is playing 24 hours of U2 today. You should listen. Because they are awesome.

I'm busy today, making up for yesterday's day off, but I'll try to drop some links on you over the next day or so. Take it easy, gang.

Sunday night. Eleven thirty-three.

Another bleary-eyed post? Sure, why not.

I didn't ask the woman to coffee. I had an opportunity, but hesitated. And we all know what happens to he who hesitates.

He plays online scrabble with friends on late Sunday nights. (t's a blast, but still.)

...

I suddenly want to write really sappy love poetry. Something about missed chances. But not the one you're thinking about--I'm now inspired by something else, something i've felt for a while now. I'll spare you the bother of reading it; it wouldn't have been very good, I would have overshared or made it too obviously about the person who would have inspired it, and I would have eventually been embarrassed and taken it down. I'm cutting out the middle man, here, people. For you. Everything I do, I do it for you. Just like Bryan Adams.

Point being, I sometimes long for the fork in the road i chose not to take, seven years ago. But who knows how life now would have been different if that particular butterfly had fluttered by in a different way. A different sneeze, a different stampede. A different Dave.

So i don't wish I could change the past. Just the present. Just the present.

("So why don't you?" Dave's insane married friends say, in low-lit spots around the stage.)

Too many impracticalities. Plus, if I just outright told this person, "Look kiddo, my future is still up in the air, I know i'm not much to look at and my very best quality may just be my ability to make you laugh, but no matter what, I'm fairly confident in the fact that I'm in love with you, and want to make you happy for the rest of my natural days," if I said all that, I'd be met with embarrassed laughter, and a swift rebuttal which would dropkick my bruised ego back to the farthest corners of the friend-zone. Might as well just stay right here and mull.

Just cutting out the middle-man here.

This post doesn't seem as upbeat as the last one. Apparently lack of sleep isn't the leading factor in blog-optimism.

Geez, sometimes these blogs are the textual equivalent of drunk-dialing. Better go before I start naming names.

Goodnight, internets. Tomorrow will be better, I promise.

Saturday night, three thirteen.

I'm waiting for my clothes to finish agitating--rather the machine to finish agitating--so i can toss my jeans in the dryer and get a few hours of sleep. I'm tired and worn out--what better time to blog?

Today was good. Five hours of discussion/notes about singles ministry/Sunday school. A few hours of lesson prep, a few hours of sitcom watching. Three hours of retro-skate. Almost three hours in a booth at Denny's with my three favorite people from church.

Which brings us to now. Listening to the washer drum spin. The feet are uneven. It makes noise and moves a bit each time I do a load of laundry.

I'm happy--well, maybe not happy, maybe that's not the right word--I'm pretty content with my life as it stands. Sure, work's stressful. Sure, I'm still fat and single. But God is awesome. And every day, I'm reminded of how much I've been given, and the love I have for people in my life.

So here's to you, missus robinson. Jesus loves me more than I can ever know, and each day, I see new aspects of it.

Each time I sin, and repent, I find new mercies. New grace. The Gospel is just as true for me now as ever.

[The washer just stopped. I'm not done.]

I don't know what the next year holds. But I'm ready for what comes. As ready as I'll ever be. I want to be part of God's mission in the world. So we'll see.

What's on the horizon? Tomorrow, I'm gonna ask a woman at church if she wants to get coffee sometime. Next weekend, I'm going to again try out for "The Biggest Loser." I also may see "Slumdog Millionaire" again.

Of those, only the movie is a sure thing. Go see it, it's really good.

I'm rambling now. But it is, after all, three twenty in the morning. Sunday morning coming down.

Time for 4 and a half hours of sleepy sleep. Goodnight my dear friends. I love you. God loves you. His love is bigger than mine.