Weird Fact Saturday

   A lot of good ideas have been thought of in the world. And, of course, there's been some not-so-good ideas thought up in this world, too. Anyway, they both usually get told to somebody, who then tells them to somebody else, who then....

   This stealing of ideas has a long history in writing, usually it's called "borrowing" by the one doing the swiping, and most of the time they give credit to the person they got it from. I'm taking and adapting the idea that follows from a friend of mine, as far as I can figure, you post half a dozen or so odd idiosyncrasies about yourself every so often. (This is what happens when you've been sick all week and you can't think of anything else restful to do.)

• I go by my middle name, I was named after my great-grandpa. 

• I only have nine toenails. 

• I'm the oldest of five siblings, two sisters and two brothers. 

• The college I'll be attending is one both my parents went to at one point(Actually, they met there.)

• I'd like to have at least one book written and published in my lifetime. 

• I have never kissed a girl. 

AI-S11 Their Idols Night Results

     I'm not a very happy camper right now.

     The questionable ones you keep are DeAndre, Jessica and Joshua? And the bottom three is Heejun, Hollie(!), and Skylar(!)?? Yeah, Heejun might've deserved to be in it, but HOLLIE AND SKYLAR IN THE BOTTOM THREE???

   Scotty did a good job, "Water Tower Town" is a great song. He kind of sounded like he had a sore throat or something.

   Heejun left, which he was happy about. I'm not, really. Yes, I know it's American Idol, not American Comedian, but still, isn't it better to have hilarious guys who can't sing than robots devoid of emotion, or guys who scream painfully or sound like they're always getting kicked in the nuts?

Tournament Challenge recap

   Getting over a sickness isn't much fun. It's about eighty degrees, sun shining brightly, with a slight breeze, and I feel just good enough to want to do stuff, but knowing that if I go and spend the day like usual, I'll drop back and feel worse. So, here it is, my second straight day of enforced resting(something I'm not very good at).

   Thinking about southwest Missouri in July, and all the Bible teaching and good times held there for one week of the year. Grateful God's placed everybody I've met there over the years into my life, and hoping Christ is still working in the hearts and minds of the campers and counselors once I leave the chapter. This is a story I wrote about the games played last year, reason I'm reposting it is because I'm bored and don't have anything else sports-wise to write about. Cabbage ball is slow-pitch softball, for those wondering.

   2011 SGYC Tournament Challenge recap


The 2011 Sovereign Grace Youth Camp, held at Camp Beth-Eden in Conway, Missouri, will probably go down as one of the most injurious times ever in its' 26-year history. It was a year of transition, as Joanna Ivie noted, with a very different feel to it, which was reflected in the Tournament Challenge.

   Play began Tuesday with Green defeating Red(again sticking with the nickname "Devils") in volleyball, and Black beating Blue on the Ultimate Frisbee field.  In cabbage ball, the White squad was (soon to be named the Cubs, for unfortunately honest reasons) facing the Yellow team(soon to be labeled the 'Jackets). Yellow captain Daniel Freeland chose to bat first, so the White team, led by Wesley Coburn, took the field. Yellow's Kerri Barger and White's Joe Paxton each managed hits, but the first inning was scoreless. Yellow stung back in the second, stroking four straight singles followed by a grand slam to go up 5-0. Alexa Hankins got on base, she scored on a double by Coburn, who was then driven home by an Ashland Hankins double. Samara Jensen got a hit, and Matt Freeland scored the two of them with an RBI single. Austin Hankins scored Paige Steeley, and Bennett Cox gave his team the lead on a sacrifice fly. The White momentum was quickly killed as Yellow erupted for seven runs in the third inning, Ashland sacrificed an out to let Wesley cross the plate, and Freeland drove in Jensen, but the rally fell short, and Yellow took the game by a 12-8 score.   

   Next was the BPG section, where Green(the "Bulldogs") triumphed over Blue(the "Angels") at mini golf, Yellow topped Black in Bible trivia by a 8600-7900 score, and White's opponent in ping pong would be Red. Always a hotly contested compettition whenever there's a table open, Red's Anne Butler defeated Marie Dugas 11-5, 11-3, Jorgi Henry topped Jensen, and Justine Mueller won out over Bethany Garner, White rallied as Alexa dropped Vania Sadowski 11-6, 11-1, Ashland won over Hannah Landry 11-0, 11-3, and Samara vanquished  Landry 11-5, 11-6. Cox lost, but Bennett then recovered by taking a three game match over Seth Blanton. Wesley Coburn and Ben Lies split their matches, Coburn took the first 11-5, 16-14, Lies then returned the favor 11-7, 11-5. Overall, the final score turned out to be White 11 games, Red 10 games.

   That brought up the first of two Worst/First chalenges that night, Black wound up with volleyball against Yellow after Blue chose Green in cabbage ball, and Red looked for redemption against White in Ultimate. Red struck first with two passes from Jorgi to Bailey Cook, then Jarod Hill threw a touchdown to Henry, and she caught another from Jon Lange. The Cubs got on the board with a long Bennett-to-Wesley pass, which was follwed by a Jorgi-Jarod TD, and the Devils took the first game 5-1. Both sides sent their Team 2's out, Red scored first, but White answered on a sister-to-sister score, from Ashland to Alexa. White then fell behind, but thier short passes resulted in a Joe Paxton touchdown catch off an Alexa Hankins throw, Hannah Landry then found Seth Blanton, putting her team back on top, but Alexa found Matt Freeland, Ashland hit Alexa, and one more White score tied the game at one apiece after the 5-3 score. Game 3 started off with a pair of Henry-Cook touchdowns, then Samara Jensen passed out due to a combonation of heat and asthma, stopping play. Though not feeling well, she re-entered the game and promptly threw a TD to Matt. Hill responded, finding Henry in the end zone, Ashland tied the game by connecting with Jensen, Red moved ahead with Stan Garner's score off a Cook throw, Freeland snagged a Cox pass, but it wasn't quite enough, as Garner threw the clinching pass to Henry, Red winning two games to one by a total score of 12-9.    

   Time passed by too quickly, as it always does every year, and Wednesday the Cubs took on the Bulldogs of Green in Frisbee. On the opening serve, Bennett was caught in a collision with Rhen Ross, injuring his head and knocking him out of the game. Jon Minner threw the first scoring pass to Ross, but it was answered by a diving trap by Wesley on a Samara Jensen throw. Green went back on top with two quick scores, one of which was Minner to Abbey Underwood, the Cubs clawed back as Wesley found his dance partner, Ashland skipped into the end zone and caught the pass.  The Bulldogs growled with displeasure, Underwood threw to Minner and they scored again, taking the first game 5-2. White had some difficulty forming a Team 2, with Bennett out, Marie not playing and Sam and Matt both feeling under the weather. Despite these problems, Matt fired touchdowns to Samara and Ashland, Andrew Ashe played a part in the next two Green scores. Since time was fast becoming an issue, it went into sudden death, with each side putting their best five players on the field. This didn't bode well for the vertically challenged White squad, Green sent out a quintet of guys ranging from 5'10" to 6'2", compared to their three girl, two guy lineup, none taller than 5'7" or 8"(this is disputed). Green's unbeaten streak was kept alive, they won with a gamecount of 2-0 and a score total of 8-4.

    In other news, Black, playing as the Thunder this year, downed the Yellow Jackets in volleyball, while the Blue Angels picked up their first win over the Red Devils, 10-3 in cabbage ball. Next, Black narrowly edged Red in golf, 539-551, Yellow got the better of Blue in ping pong, and Green and White headed down to the tabernacle for Bible trivia. The Cubs got the upper hand, at one point leading 5300-1500, but a late run by the Bulldogs trimmed it to a 7900-5500 lead for the team cursed by history(or predestined to fail, depending on your theology and mood). The answer in Final Jeopardy was: Samson used these, in this amount, to burn the fields of the Philistines. Both sides risked it all, both sides said foxes, but only Green correctly picked the right number: 300. Thus ended the competitiom for the day, but things weren't done. Jensen passed out again, Marie Dugas, Green's Courtney Coburn and Red's Jon Lange all got overheated, and Green lost Rhen Ross, who had to leave early due to a family illness. After the talent share and general session, much discussion was chewed over in the outer left boys cabin between Jed, Jon, Matt and Wes in the interests of player health, where it was determined that Blue would pick Green, and no matter whether Red or White won first pick in Worst/First, they would play volleyball in the shade. An exceptiion to the Worst/First rules was made to allow Black to tangle with Yellow(in the air conditioning) in ping pong.    

   It looked like a day that history might be made, as Green was 5-for-5 in thier events heading into the final day. The Thunder and 'Jackets were competing in ping pong, and the Devils and Cubs were set for thier third matchup of the week. Volleyball is traditionally thought of as a girls' sport, so it was hardly a surprise that Ashland, Samara, Alexa and Bethany took charge. With the interesting rally cry of "Sharkbait!", White held even. For a while. Things went into the familiar downward spiral from there. The Devils had their second win in three days over White, as they destroyed the Cubs 15-8, 15-8.

   While leaving UVC for BPG, they were met by jubilant Angels,  who upset Green 9-6, squashing a last-inning comeback bid. In Bible trivia, Red prevailed against Blue 13000-8000, Yellow obliterated White on the golf course, winning by 95 strokes. Black and Green, who would face each other that night, went to the limit in the table tennis duel. Black led 11 games to ten, with the final game tied at 10-all. Black's Bryan Maier ended up winning 12-10, setting everyone's focus on the final UVC of the week.

   The volleyball match between Blue and White was irrelevant to the standings. Black and Green were slated to play cabbage ball, each side had five points. Thus, the title, prizes and BRAGGING RIGHTS hinged on both the cabbage ball game and the Red-Yellow UF game. If Red won, then the cabbage ball would determine the title. If Yellow won, however, they would go into a tiebreaker system developed in response to the emergency Bible trivia match between Blue and Red last year, which Red won 2 1/2 questions to 2. But first, more pressing matters needed taking care of. The Wrights left a day early to leave on vacation to Ohio, inadvertinately leaving Lauren's Black and Tamara's Yellow teams shorthanded, and one fewer counselor in the loss of Pippa. During the boys singing between 4:00 and 5:00 pm, Eva Sadowski gashed her eye on the ladder coming up from the pool on a dive. She was rushed, accompanied by Mrs Minner and Lizzie Martin, to St. Joseph's Hospital in Lebanon. That left Black with only eight members, and a camp full of anxious people. What followed next was, no other words would do, shocking.

   Still with the cry of "Sharkbait!" ringing, White astounded themselves with how easy the first game was to win, the score was 15-5. The second swung back and forth, but little by little, their hope dimmed, and Blue snuck up and stole it 15-12. WIth the third game actually counting for something, the cursed Cubs' nerves got to them, and the Angels won the final 10-1.

   Nobody was prepared for the sight they saw next. Jed, collapsed in a heap, apparently unmoving after overexerting himself,  and people hovering over him. We all realized, even if we hadn't believed it before, the truth of the statement that "It's just a game." The next twenty minutes slowly ticked away, the tabernacle was full of hurried prayers, terrified eyes and tightly reined emotions. He recovered, mostly, and we manily heaved a sigh of relief, although he had a close watch upon him by many concerned friends.  I'm afraid that no one heard a word of Ryan Butler's sermon on anger that night. With knowing that Eva would soon be okay, seeing that Jed was all right, and the general session out of the way(Note, this was the only time we felt that way about the preaching.) lighter things could be focused on, namely, finding out who won, signing books, and seeing how late we were allowed to stay up.

  Turned out Yellow won Ultimate 2-0, with a score count of 10-1. That meant they would be in a tiebreak against...BLACK. The Thunder won the game in jaw-dropping fashion, by a score of 21-1. In slowpitch softball. The tiebreaker was mysteriously untangled, and Black emerged as the 2011 SGYC Tournament Challenge championship team.

   WIth 24 first-timers out of 66 attendees, it was a much younger year. Kind of a passing of the torch from the older generation(which is nearly gone), and the new, incoming one. And nothing was physically destroyed. The pool was renovated, and The Gum Tree has it's own plaque now. The future looks birght for SGYC, and hopefully they'll continue to point teens to Christ for a long time to come. I don't know if I'll be able to come next year, but I've made some terrific friendships and learned a lot in the time I've spent in Conway.

  Amd yeah. statistically, we didn't do that well as a team, but we sure gave it all we had every time. I had some of the greatest teammates a person could ask for, and it was amazing meeting some of you for the first time, and getting to know the rest deeper. So, thank you to(in alphabetical order) Alexa, Ashland, Austin, Bethany, Bennett, Joe, Marie, Matt, Paige and Samara.  

Black   Thunder   6 pts

Yellow Jackets    6 pts

Green Bulldogs   5 pts

Red    Devils       3 pts

Blue    Angels     2 pts 

White Cubs        1 pt

Total score tally from 2008-2011 (Out of 31 contests)

Yellow    18 wins   '08 champs

Green    16 wins

Black      15 wins   '11 champs

Blue       15 wins   '09 champs

Red       14 wins   '10 champs

White      8 wins.

American Idol Season 11 Top Nine - Their Idols Night

Colton Dixon - Everything - That was awesome. The chorus was a bit pitchy, and it was almost forgettable, not the most memorable song, but it was good. I could listen to that on radio. Course, most of his songs so far I could see being on radio.

Skylar Laine - Gundpowder and Lead - Awesome choice. Actually, nearly any Miranda Lambert song would be an awesome choice for Skylar, though if I was Jimmy, I would've suggested Kerosene instead. It had some odd editing to make it fit the timeslot. She had fun with it, I liked it, but it kind of sounded like Reba McEntire doing Miranda.

Colton/Elise/Phillip's Fleetwood Mac medley - That was cool, it was nice.

Heejun Han - A Song For You - The tune was creepy and depressing, kind of pitchy, wasn't much a fan. It was all right.

Hollie Cavanagh - Jesus Take The Wheel - Most people shouldn't sing Carrie, it won't turn out that well, her being...well, Carrie. It just doesn't turn out that well. But that was extremely good, just as good as Danny Gokey's version(which I was stunned when he did it, that a guy could make that song sound that good.) Again, too many chunks were chopped out, when it's a story song like this, any subtraction messes the whole thing up. That was great.

DeAndre Brackensick - Sometimes I Cry - Ugh. My dad(who doesn't really care about AI, just sometimes watches with the rest of us so he can have some idea of what's going on) two had this opinion: "Permhead sounds awful. Like a cat being disemboweled." My thoughts: He sounded like somebody who was using Uncle Rico's time machine, yowling "Some-one stepped ON MY TAIIIIIILLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Jessica Sanchez - Sweet Dreams - The harp was an interesting change of pace, but overall, it was strange. I almost liked it, but I didn't. And I just figured out why I've never liked her: She's like one of those Chinese gymnasts, always thinking "I have to win, if I fall short..." Not having fun at all, just tense, trying to get every single little note perfect, and otherwise completely devoid of personality.

DeAndre/Heejun/Joshua's Michael Jackson medley - Weird. Clothes looked dated, songs felt dated, they sounded horrible together, it was terrible.

Phillip Phillips - Still Rainin' - Cool song! Good voice, it was good.

Joshua Ledet - Without You - Okay, I suppose, but such a snoozer(I'm running out of adjectives for "boring" here. Actually, I ran out about five weeks or so ago.) He just rubs me the wrong way, somehow.

Hollie/Jessica/Skylar's Madonna medley - The clothes looked ridiculous. Hollie and Skylar were good, Jessica wasn't.

Elise Testone - Whole Lotta Love - I'm about as familiar with Led Zeppelin as Randy is with country, so while Dad said afterwards that she did perfect, I didn't much like her voice. The guitar was great. Flashing lights were overdone, nearly gave me a headache.

.Bottom Three-
DeAndre,
Jessica,
Joshua,

DeAndre finally leaves(Crossing my fingers.)

Isaiah 43:1-3

   "But now, this is what the Lord says-
   he who created you, O Jacob,
   he who formed you, O Israel;
   'Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
   I have called you by name; you are mine.
   When you pass through the waters,
   I will be with you;
   and when you pass through the rivers,
   they will not sweep over you.
   When you pass through the fire,
   you will not be burned;
   the flames will not set you ablaze.
   For I am the Lord, your God,
   the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. ' "
     - Isaiah 43:1-3 (NIV)

     Well, I meant to start an email devotional-type thing to send out about once every two or three weeks, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. And since I'm updating this blog every two or three days, it seems easier to just bring the idea over here than find everybody's email addresses to send it to.

     And I figured I'd just start out with my favorite verse(s) to begin with. God spoke these words to Isaiah, and Israel wasn't in the best spot ever during his time. It was one of those dark places in their history, I think it was a point of the people of Israel's being enslaved and under the rule of some other country. So, through Isaiah, God's reminding the people that even though things look like a mess right then, he's been there before to help them, and he'll continue to do so in the future.

     See how His speech begins, "Fear not"? That's comforting. He knows we, being people, are fearful, we like having some measure of control in our lives, or at least knowing what's going to happen, even if we can't control the events personally. So God's reminding the people of Israel here, and to all Christians generally later on in history, that he's saved us, so we shouldn't be afraid, we should instead trust that He'll work things out for whatever the good is that He's planned for us.

     Then we get to the part about remembering how good God's goodness has been to us, and an assurance that we'll be okay. Water's pretty fluid, it's hard to stand up straight in. Sometimes it shifts unexpectedly, and you have to float or swim. That can kind of parallel to the ordinary frustrations and problems we face most days, it's good to know that He's with us in those times, to help us through those.

   Rivers, well, those are big bodies of water, which are usually deep, and can become extremely dangerous when flooded. Those would be the large crises we run into every once in a while, when we need to learn something that we wouldn't have found out in any other way. Some people's paths through life run through more rivers than others, no matter how often they come through, with God's strength to guide us through, we'll not be swallowed by the waves.

   When you pass through the fire...whew...that's when it's really tough. Fire can help, yes; it can warm a house in wintertime or during a storm, to clear away thorns and thistles from a field to get it ready for planting, to cook food, or to burn trash so it won't pile up and look awful. But that's not the meaning here. Nope, not at all. As one of the three things we can't live without(the others being God and love), we hate it, but we can't exist without it. Why would we fear fire? Because it's so dangerous. It can kill. It can destroy. It can scar. These are the huge, monumental problems we run into, the ones that we measure our growth by. For me, it was a fire, my freshman year of high school, two weeks before Christmas. Electrical surge throughout the house proved too much for the breaker box, and all the wiring was toast. Smoke damage was enormous, but we all got out okay, even the cat. Over the next ten months, we moved an hour away, commuting daily back and forth from the house(which we were rebuilding from the inside out; only the skeleton of framing was the same) to the trailer, picking up whatever parts we needed, and living from deadline to deadline. We learned a lot about home construction, but we learned even more about ourselves, how we react to immense problems that come our way, and about how much grace God has for us, providing people to help in various ways, from demo and wiring to roofing, tile, carpet and putting the woodstain on the stairs. We had a lot of my mom's family nearby, ready to help with whatever was needed, and the folks from our church were huge, aiding in ways incountable. I could go on and on, never quite finishing how great a time of growth this was, how much closer I drew to God. There were a handful of friends to give me updates on the news, or encourage through texts or emails. A lot of my Missouri friends encouraged me, also, each in their own special ways. When I heard a song at camp we were singing for the first time that was based on these verses, right in the middle of that rebuilding process, I just felt such an onrush of thankfulness, an overpowering sense of gratefulness. I started crying. I still can't read these words or sing those lyrics without tearing up, so thankful and amazed at God's grace to us.

     It's been seven years ago today that my grandma died, which is usually pretty tough. I was really close to her, wondered many times what she'd have thought of how my teenage years have gone, wished I could call and talk to her. Had a lot of great memories with her, reading books, going fishing, riding horses, creating stories, even mundane things like shopping trips were exciting and interesting. Once she got cancer, things started to be a little tougher, trying to help as we could, while watching her health slowly slide downhill. She said once that she wanted her grandkids to either remember her in health or else not remember her at all, most of my siblings don't remember her, just as a picture on the wall or in the scrapbook, a name in stories. But I remember, and yes, I remember the dark times near the end, but more often than not I picture the happy times at the farm, and all the good memories I have.

   Would it have been nice to tell excitedly about my getting a job writing for the ONW, or the Free Lance, or OKBlitz? Yes, I'm sure she would have been thrilled for me. Would she be too happy with my growing up? Probably not, but I can't really help that. Would it have been nice to talk when I broke up with my girlfriend three years ago, or when Sport died last summer? Yes, it would have, I've wished I could tell somebody about those kinds of things. She would have loved to hear about the Youth Tour trip, telling everybody in town about me winning it, and then wanting to see pictures and hear stories, some of which she'd pass on to Renee at the Reporter, who would set them down in the paper, getting three or four facts hopelessly(and hilariously) wrong. These shifting puzzle pieces of senior year probably would have found some order if we talked it over, maybe not be quite as confusing as they have been.

   Of course, these are all just conjectures of how I wish things had gone; obviously, that's not how God's script for these years has worked out, so I'm content with what's happened, though my human nature wishes some things could have gone different. And yeah, some parts of my future at the moment loom vast and terrifying, and I'm wondering now(and will when in the middle of them) how I can possibly get through them, but I know that eventually, in some way, they'll lead to my growth as a person and as a disciple of Christ. Yeah, most of my life has been in water(funny, kind of; since I hate swimming in real life), and I've probably had more rivers and fires to get through than most other people, and there's most likely quite a few more along the road, but God will help me get through them, and it'll turn out okay. Might not be what I would have liked, but it will be better, in some way than what I would have planned.

Youth Group Get-Togethers: Times of Fellowship, Ministry, and Caffeine

   When it was written that the church should meet regularly, I'm pretty sure our youth group was not what was meant...

   We study, mainly, more so than any other youth group I've ever heard of(and my parents used to be youth pastors, so I've seen a bunch), but when we get together for a night of fellowship...look out, haha. We gathered together tonight to mail out newsletters for a ministry to unmarried pregnant women that one of the families supports, it was an interesting time. Several thousand newsletters were readied for mailing, by about fifteen people in about three hours, I discovered there's a ton of hand muscles you don't realize you have - this coming from a guitarist, who uses his hands to play (and type)often.

   It was fun, it was productive, we had some good conversations while working, and waiting for dinner. The friends who were hosting, their house has a nice atmosphere, it feels like you're at home. (Or maybe that's just cause I'm used to noisy, loud houses, being the oldest of five kids?) When you add in the little siblings that tagged along, there was about twenty-five or thirty people altogether. After a dinner break, and about a twenty-minute recess for playing Frisbee with the dog and shooting baskets, it was back to work. Until we ran out of tape. So, off five of us older teens went down to the pharmacy for some more Scotch tape. (We have this thing with pharmacies - We can never enter them without something strange and noteworthy happening.) It being like, eight on a Friday night, we were the only customers in there, and there was maybe one guy working a shift. So we, two guys, three girls, all go marching in, searching all around for Scotch tape. We finally find it, then stare at the prices for five minutes trying to figure out which brand is cheaper, and who has enough money to pay for it, and who we need to borrow from. We got it figured out, and look around for the checkout, making slight detours at the peanut M&Ms and Monster drinks(Already having had at least one apiece, and all on the edge of broke, we just window-shopped.) The guy working there is nowhere to be found. What do you do when the person you want is nowhere in sight? Well, if you have lots of little siblings(between us, we had ten), you holler. We would not have done this if any other customers were at the store; however, as previously stated, it was empty except for us. "Hello?!" "Yeah, um...we're awesome, so can you come check us out?!" The guy(a bored looking black guy in his late twenties or early thirties) comes walking up, me and Marie look at each other, then convulse with laughter. "SAM....!!!" Katie is trying to figure out what the three of us(by now, Sam's realized what she said) think was so hysterical, Dylan blandly buys the tape, most likely wishing he hadn't driven us all down here.

   After returning home in the pickup, we rejoin the newsletter crew, who were taking an enforced break whilst the shopping commenced. We then finished the other thousand or so, amidst an atmosphere that could only be called "Bedlam". Or maybe "Teenagers on Sugar and/or Caffeine Highs". It was a little wild. So much so that you had to text the other people in the room, because you couldn't be heard in all the noise.

   We eventually got them all done, though we found new ways to torment(good naturedly, of course) the middle schoolers while finishing. So then we went on to a game of Sardines in the very dark backyard. It was a little too easy, certain people don't know how to shut up when hiding. Then we found out we'd overlooked about twenty newsletters, so we had to get those out of the way. Once that was completed, a game of Red Rover was started, and the trio of seniors sat on the porch swing and talked. It didn't end so well. A routine shout-out wound up in a hammered forearm, and that was pretty much game over, sending a girl to the emergency room, we haven't heard any word yet, but it didn't look too good. Praying for her.

   Strange ending to a strange, interesting night. I'll really miss these guys a lot, something I never thought I'd say when I was in middle school, just joined. But it's part of life, part of growing up, and they'll be okay. We've got a good teacher, and people who can step into our places well, they'll probably do a better job leading than we did. Life isn't exactly clear, what the next few months might hold, but it isn't exactly shrouded in fog, either. Kind of opaque, slightly see-through. But we're just trying to take one step at a time, when God shows us a little ways ahead, trusting that He'll work things out how they should. It's kind of scary, but kind of exciting. Wonder what the future's gonna hold?

AI-S11 Billy Joel Results

   Who was that girl who sang first? She had on a weird outfit, and sounded strange.

   Haley Reinhart's return was very...uh, Haley Reinhart.

   The medley song was kind of...I don't know, something...

   The Ford video was all right, kind of lame.

   I was wrong again. Bottom three were DeAndre, Erika and Heejun, Erika went home, not Elise.

American Idol Season 11 Top 10 - Billy Joel Night

Well, that was an interesting show....I really liked some of them, really won't remember most of them, and really detested a few.

Tommy Hilfiger seems like a neat guy, it was interesting to hear his advice on clothes for the contestants.

DeAndre Brackensick - Only The Good Die Young - I had never heard that song before, from its' being mentioned in Kenny Chesney's "I Go Back", I expected it to be a sad type of ballad, kind of a story song. It was weird to hear that it was so upbeat and catchy. Kinda liked it, he was having fun, it was an all right beginning, got us into it. That jacket thing he was wearing was kind of cool.

Erika Van Pelt - New York State of Mind - I had heard this one before, but didn't know it was Billy Joel. It's a nice song, I guess, not a fan of her haircut, she was boring and forgettable. Or maybe that's just cause I'm not from New England.

Joshua Ledet - She's Got A Way - Okay.

Skylar Laine - Shameless (??!!!!) - THIS WAS A BILLY JOEL SONG? Garth Brooks didn't do it originally? Actually, after I got over that shock, my next thought was a line from another Kenny Chesney hit, "Big Star". Skylar was Garth in a skirt, I liked it better than his version. My fourth thought was how stupid an outfit she was wearing.

Elise Testone - Vienna  - On the edge of good, possibly even great, but it was never quite there, all the way through. And the drop-off on that ledge is a huge space of weirdness.

Phillip Phillips - Movin' On - What kind of effects did they hook up to that guitar? That was cool! It was simple, kind of funky,  pretty good.

Hollie Cavanagh - Honesty - She looked hilarious, like some character from "Matlock" or some even older TV show. I couldn't even watch because I wouldn't have been able to hear her over my laughter. Not her best, quite possibly her worst, it was a little dull. But even so, it was still good, and despite the dire predictions of my discussion group cousins, I will be shocked if Hollie's in the bottom three.

Heejun Han - My Life - I freaked out when he missed the lyric. And then I freaked out when he couldn't remember it. And then I freaked out when it went uptempo. That was crazy! And I loved it! He won't win, but he sure is entertaining to have around. In the middle he kind of sounded like a weird Asian dude.

Jessica Sanchez - Everybody Has A Dream - That was old. And pageanty(First time that adjective has been used this season. Amazing we got this far without it.) Yawn-inducing. Forgettable. And bad.

Colton Dixon - Piano Man - I've always kind of liked that song, that was a seriously RED piano...he was VERY GOOD, I want his CD when it comes out. It was a great way to end the show.

Bottom three-
Elise,
Erika,
DeAndre.
I'll won't jump on the DeAndre's leaving bandwagon just yet, Elise leaves for home first.

Sportsthoughts

   Well, Peyton Manning had the longest adolescence of any football-playing equine in history...he was a Colt for fourteen years before becoming a Bronco. But really, seeing him in Denver, instead of Indy? That will take some getting used to.

   John Elway never liked Tim Tebow. We already knew it, but now we really know it. And of all the teams to get him in a trade, it's the New York Jets? For only a fourth-round pick? This will be an interesting story to watch....hard to imagine a worse NFL enviroment for a Christian to play in...much less in the largest city in the country, with the Enormous Microscope of Scrutiny every single semi-famous person on up is under.

   I don't really understand why everyone was so horrified by the Saints' bounty system...yes, it's technically against the league law, but every team has a bounty system! Football's a violent sport, people are going to get hit. Some are going to get hurt. The defensive players were trying to hurt people....hmm. That seems like kind of a gray area to me. No, they shouldn't try to actively hurt people, but they should be rewarded somehow for big plays, for playing hard. Doesn't seem like Sean Payton should've been suspended for an entire year. Isn't that like unfairly penalizing all the offensive players?

   I guess I'm going with Kansas or Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament...don't like Syracuse or Ohio State, North Carolina doesn't look to have a shot any longer, with their point guard hurt, how much longer can Wisconsin's defense-first methodology win the Badgers games? Those highlighter Baylor jerseys are awful...almost as bad as Maryland's flag football uniforms. It'd be kind of cool to see Ohio vs Xavier in the title game...not gonna happen, though. And all the great stories that could come out of a Cincinnati-Xavier rematch...

   Idol's going to be Billy Joel Night tonight. Hooray.

Senior Pics, Upsets, Free Agents, and Other Forms of March Madness

   It's March, cue the Madness.

    Two No. 2 seeds lost to No. 15 seeds? Thank you for busting nearly everyone in the USA's brackets, Missouri and Duke....Seriously, even the people like my aunt who knows nothing about sports, the kind who always end up with good brackets, they're toast. Not to mention everybody else.

    An American Idol contestant was kicked out for having FOUR outstanding warrants?? True, Jermaine was extremely irritating, and he needed to go home, and it's a flagrant violation of the show's rules, but it was still an unexpected way to leave.

    We saw Peyton Manning, of all quarterbacks, become a free agent??? HOW we we adjust to him in a non-Colts jersey?

   High school basketball finished up their playoffs, with all the crazy, intense pride and emotions they bring.

   And, of course, there's the inevitable spring break countdown, and the graduation countdown, and (I suppose) the prom countdown(Do people really care about proms, or is that just a movie thing?). And there's graduation parties, and senior pictures, and planning for graduations, and applications, and forms, and various other things that need filling out in order to attend an institute of higher learning in a few months. Plus, of course, there's those last pesky seven or eight weeks of high school....

   Anyway, when you add in the fact that the tornadoes are biding their time, waiting for the precisely right moment(whatever that is, I don't understand tornado logic), and that there's cute little baby goats and kittens and other animals, and memories of loved pets gone past, you get about one conclusion: It's springtime. More specifically, it's March.

   So, as part of the Madness, my small contribution(besides watching, only watching) quite a bit of college basketball, was having my senior pictures done. It's a weird experience, so....school-like and ordinary. (Laugh, it's a homeschooler thing.) We grabbed a notebook, couple cameras, an old press pass and my guitars and headed down to the football stadium, one of the few places a photo shoot would feel normal in. (Okay, I'm a guy. Girls...I don't know, seems like they'd feel comfortable shooting pictures anywhere.) So, we snapped about six hundred eighty-four pictures or so, at various places in the stands, on the sidelines, by the old football field, on the (stereotypical) railroad tracks, around the neighbor's farm, by a few buildings in our very small downtown area, and in the middle of the road. (Literally, on the center line. Right in front of a curve. Dangerous? Yep! Frightening? A little. Will it make good pics? Hopefully, we'll see how they turn out.)

   It was really weird....getting all my stuff together, heading to the field, just like it's a fall Friday night....knowing it's actually a spring Saturday evening, and we're just trying to fake the experience of reporting well. Actually, the whole thing felt like acting, really; a very peculiar type of acting, with all the action in still format.

   Fun, but a strange.experience, knowing that this means it's almost over, that it's time to actually leap out there into college, and from there, life as an adult. Just brings the whole thing of being a senior really home, you know, says "This is real. This is happening." Like being on a plane bound for Baltimore and realizing you belong to a select group of the best writers in the state. "I am? I mean, sure, here I sit, and there was that dinner last night at the hotel, but really, I'm one of the state's best writers?"

   There were a few downsides, though, it was cloudy, spitting rain occasionally(and so no Golden Hour of light as the sun drops off past the horizion), a screw from one guitar dropped loose and had to be re-tightened(it was found and put back on just fine), and I missed a good friend's graduation party.

   But overall it was a good, though strange, experience, and it was a fun time. Now to fling together tomorrow's church clothes, take a shower, cram in some extra practice of the morning's worship songs, and finish off a mocha Rockstar while rereading this blog post for errant typos.

AI-S11 YYWB Results

   I was wrong - again.

  On the other hand, so was nearly everyone else in our discussion group.

   The bottom three were Elise, Erika and Shannon, Elise was then safe, Shannon was kicked out, the judges had no intentions whatsoever of saving her.

   Demi Lovato was boring, she didn't look a thing like herself, Daughtry was awesome.

   And my bracket is about 75-80 percent right, for now. On AI picks, I'm 7-13(0-3).

American Idol Season 11 Top 12/11 - Year You Were Born Night

   By far my favorite theme.

   The judges sure were colorful last night, weren't they? A guy I know said JayLo looked like a tulip. They also had their "Let's give these people nothing to work with" thing going on.

   It wasn't cool that Jermaine was arrested, but at least we won't have to watch him any more. Felt bad for the producer.

   Anyway, here we go on the performances...

Phillip Phillips - Hard To Handle - He had stage presence, it was very cool, I liked it. That was a great way to kick off the show.

Jessica Sanchez - Turn The Beat Around - "And they voted. They did, they elected all the diff'rint ones of 'em that they liked, and she wasn't on there. She wasn't. Because she did, friends, she did exactly what her song said, and she turned that beat right around and is in danger of going home! She is!" (Said in Andy Griffith type voice.)
   It had a good beginning, from there...it was rough. Wild, all over the place. Shiny, shiny pants. Felt like a concert, and at that, it would've been all right. But we're not at a concert, we're trying to find the best singer in America that will sell records this year. And she ain't it. Judges' criticism sounded fake, like "We have to say something, and we need to say something encouraging, because if we said how we really felt about it, like Jimmy will tomorrow night, you'll be crushed." (This half of Jessica's critique said in my normal tone of voice.)

Heejun Han - Right Here Waiting - Voice wasn't quite right for this song, I liked it anyway. He was emotional, he was into it, he was feeling every little nuance of the tune, and it showed. Not perfect, but it worked. It was very authentic.

Elise Testone - Let's Stay Together - It was a boring song. Up and down, here and there...I felt like I was on a roller coaster. I hate roller coasters.

DeAndre Brackensick - Endless Love - I wasn't feeling it, quite forgettable. Really wished he would have done "Can You The Love Tonight" instead, like he planned originally. Then I could have had pictures of Simba and Nala falling in love instead of a weird-looking guy who's full of himself and who needs a haircut.

Shannon Magrane -One Sweet Day - Good. Were the notes a little too overpowering for her, though? She looked mad.

Colton Dixon - Broken Heart - GOOD. I loved that. Somebody set it on radio, please! Thinking of maybe downloading it, at least watching it several more times.

Erika Van Pelt - Heaven - Odd entrance, but it was kind of nice. I like that song(though now it's stuck in my head with Heejun's and that other Bryan Adams song from the Kevin Costner Robin Hood movie...) it was good.

Skylar Laine - Love Sneakin' Up on You - Don't mess with Mississippi girls...they'll smoke you. That was good, not her best, but again, she was the best girl of the night at this point.

Joshua Ledet - When a Man Loves a Woman - The crawfish intro was awesome("What if you have a shellfish allergy?" "Then you don't eat it." Channeling his inner Heejun, maybe?) Once the song started, though...it was pure torture. I detest that song, it's like a man's version of "Natural Woman" or something....EVERYone sings it, they all sound alike, and I can't wait for it to end. But hey, it could've been worse(like "Fever" or...)

Hollie Cavanagh - The Power of Love - She's likable, funny, her dad was hilarious("Hi, I'm Hollie Cavanagh. Wait...no, I meant, hi, I'm Hollie's dad...") When the cameras switch on, it's game time. When she hits the stage, she commands it. Blows all the other girls(yes, even Skylar) out of the water. It was kind of mesmerizing. Not my favorite she's done, but still, it was amazing.

Best of the night - Colton, Hollie. No question.
Good - Erika, Heejun, Phillip, Shannon and Skylar.
Forgettable - DeAndre, Elise.
In Trouble - Jessica, Joshua.
Arrested - Jermaine.

Who will miss out on the Top 10, and so not go on tour this summer? It's easy to say DeAndre, Elise or Jessica. Joshua was horrendous. People might not have voted for Heejun. Since I'm 0-2 as far as finalists go at this point(7-12 if you include my finalists list), this will probably be wrong. I say Joshua leaves.

Kick, Pass and Run

   Well, most of the school for today is finished. The sun's shining brilliantly, it feels like I should be about five years old, visiting my grandma on the farm. Since I obviously can't do that, this is about the next best thing, reposting an expansion of a kid's book I used to love. It's an adaptation of "Kick, Pass and Run", by Leonard Kessler. The bracketed places are straight from the original text.

  [Rabbit was the first one to hear it.] He usually was, having large ears and curiosity.

[Duck was the first one to see it], as she also possessed curiosity, especially in gossip around the woods. So when this thing flew into the leaves and twigs, she knew about it, and pretty soon everyone else did, too.

[Cat was the first one to feel it.]  He jumped back, startled. He’d never felt anything like that before. It was smooth, but had little bumpy places all over it, and it moved when it was touched. Not a lot, just kind of a rocking motion.

[“What is it?” asked Dog], voicing the question many animals felt when they saw it. “Um...I don’t know.” Cat said warily, licking the unfamiliar smell off his paw. “I don’t know what it is, but I’ve never seen anything like it before!” Duck stated positively.

   Most of the animals had fled by this time.

“Why don’t we ask Owl?” Frog suggested.

   As Owl was generally considered the most book-smart of the animals, this idea met with approval and Owl was quickly summoned. “What is that?” [Owl said, “It’s an egg!”]

   A rush of twittering came from the animals still assembled. [“An egg?” asked Frog] dubiously. [“Yes, it is a elephant’s egg.” said Owl] more firmly this time.

   Arguing broke out as to what color elephant eggs were, or whether they even laid eggs or not. [“No, an elephant’s egg isn’t brown.” said Turtle] “It isn’t?” Owl asked, momentarily confused. “Well, then [it’s a brown bear’s egg!”

More arguing, over whether bears laid eggs. Duck walked closer to get a better look. [“Bears don’t lay eggs.”] she said, then [she laughed. “I know an egg when I see one, and THAT is NOT an egg!”]

Before anyone could ask what it was, Cat spoke up. [“Shh!”] he whispered. [“Someone is coming!” They all hid.] Behind a bush, the animals, who had shrunk to Cat, Rabbit, Dog, Owl, Duck, Frog, Turtle, and three little birds, saw a boy in funny clothes looking for something. His fur had numbers on it, and bars were coming out of his face. [“Here it is!” said the boy. “Here’s our football!” “It’s a football.” said Owl in a quiet, wise way.

[“What’s a football?” asked Frog.] Owl gave him a look, then with even more noble bearing, said simply, [“A football is a football.”]

  

Before this profound statement could be analyzed, there was a suggestion, for which Owl felt somewhat grateful. [“Let’s go and see what the boys do with it.” said Dog].

   This was looked on as a good idea, and so they went up the hill towards town, near a clearing with skunk grass, then [they all hid].

   “Shh, be quiet,” cautioned Owl. “Let’s see how the boys play football.”

    There were two teams on the field, each made of boys dressed sort of like the boy in the woods. [One team was the Jets. The other team was the Giants.

   “I am for the Jets.”] Duck announced. “Well, [I am for the Giants], then.” Rabbit replied. [“I am forQUIET!!”] Owl hissed.

   “Here comes the kickoff.” yelled the Giants’ kicker. The football went up into the air and into the hands of the Jets’ fullback, who ran up the field. [“Stop him! Tackle him!” yelled the Giants.

    “Wow, that looks like fun.’ Duck said. She tackled Rabbit. “Stop that.” said Cat.] “You’ll miss a play.”

    “Ready, set, down….hup 1, hup 2, hup 3, hike!” The center gave the ball to the quarterback. He flipped it to the halfback, who gained five yards before the Giants tackled him. [“Go team, go!” quacked Duck.] The quarterback dropped back, looking for a receiver. “Look out for a pass!” the Giants yelled. “Look out for a pass!” yelled Frog. The ball spiraled through the air, where a Jet caught it and ran all the way into the end zone. “It’s a touchdown! Yay! Six points for us!”  the excited Jets hollered.

   “It’s a touchdown.” Turtle said in a happily amazed voice. “Wow, he made a touchdown.” Duck commented. [“What’s a touchdown?’ asked Frog.] Dog opened his mouth to say something, but Owl interrupted. “A touchdown is six points.” he said wisely. “Anybody else want to try that?” Dog wondered. Yesses followed. “Let’s play football!” Cat smiled. “Yeah, I wanna make a touchdown.’ said Duck. So, they ran back into the woods.

    [“Here’s a good spot to play.” said Turtle. “Let’s choose teams.” said Owl. “Dog, Cat, Rabbit, Turtle and Frog will be the Giants, and my team will be the Jets: Duck, the three little birds, and I!”]

    “That Owl is such a big boss.” Turtle muttered under his breath. [“Oh, forget it.”] Dog replied. [“Let’s play football.” “But we need a football.”], Frog pointed out.

This puzzled the animals for a minute, then Owl spoke up.

“How about an apple?” [“No, thanks.” said Frog. “I’m not hungry.” “How about an apple for a football?”] Owl clarified his question. [“An apple will be fine.” said Duck.] “Let’s get this game started, then. Kickoff!” Owl announced as the apple flew in the air. Rabbit caught it and ran towards the end zone, only to be tackled by Duck.

 The Giants went into a huddle. “Frog will carry the ball around the left end.” Dog said softly. The Giants came out of the huddle. “1st and 10…ready, down, hike!” He got the apple and gave it to Cat, who gave it to Rabbit, who handed it off to Frog. All the Jets jumped on Frog.

    “Who has the apple?” asked Owl. “Not me.” said Rabbit. “Me neither.” Cat agreed. “Nope.” said Dog.  “No, not me.” Turtle said in his quiet way. They all looked at Frog.

    “I guess I was a little hungry.” he admitted.

    “You ATE THE FOOTBALL??!!” Duck squawked. “Now we need a new one!”

   “How about this paper bag?” Owl suggested.

   “We could blow it up, then it would make a good football. “ Dog said practically.

   (puff, puff, puff) Owl blew up the bag. [“Some football.” said Duck  “OK, it’s our turn to get the ball.” Owl said. “Ready, set, down…”] “Hop, hop, hike!” quacked Duck. “Hup, not hop.” Owl corrected. “Up?” asked Duck.

[She took the ball and flew up into the air. “”Hey, that’s not fair!” yelled Rabbit. “You can’t fly! Only the ball can go into the air.” “Yes, I can, you stupid rabbit.”] she countered. “No, you can’t, you silly duck.” he shot back. “Oh, joy.” Dog muttered. “Another fight.” Frog pronounced gloomily. Owl tried to calm them down. “Stop it! Stop it! That is NOT the way to play football.” 

    “It isn’t, Mr. Genius? Fine. Then I won’t play.”

Duck walked off. “Oh, let her go.” sighed Turtle. “But we need her.” Dog objected. “The teams won’t be even if she doesn’t play.”

   Owl was appointed to go persuade her to come back and keep playing, as he was the one who made her quit. “Come back and play, please? We need you.” He almost sounded humble. “Really.” She thought a minute. “Okay.” She picked up the paper bag football.

    “Time for a big kickoff!” she hollered. “STOP! YOU CAN”T KICK A PAPER BAG!!!” shouted Owl in alarm. POP. But it was too late. “No more football.” Dog unhappily stated the obvious. “That’s the end of the game, looks like.” Turtle agreed. Just then, something happened. Rabbit was the first one to hear it. Duck was the first one to see it. And Cat was the first one….to CATCH it! “Hey, look! It’s a REAL FOOTBALL!” he shouted. And before any of the Jets could react, he ran down the clearing. “Tackle him!” yelled Owl futilely. “Stop him!” Duck quacked in vain. They couldn’t catch him. He ran, and ran, and ran, all the way past the end zone tree marker. “Touchdown!” “Touchdown!!” “Six points for us!” the Giants cheered. Rabbit was so happy, he jumped up and down. The celebration ended quickly, however, as Frog spotted something.

    “Look out, somebody’s coming!” Cat dropped the football, and they all hid. “Oh.” said the boy. “Here it is. I wonder how it got all the way back here?”  

Thoughts on Writing

   For a contest sponsored by the college I'm headed to this fall, I was searching through some of my last articles to be published for entering. It made me think back on my writing overall, and its place in my life. How many people have an opportunity to work part-time at newspapers for five years, before college? How many people are published at least 237 times in newspapers, magazines and websites before they graduate from high school?

   It was fun. Hard, time-consuming, but fun. Of course, some things are easier to write about than others, for example, football is easier than track, and basketball easier than wrap-ups or previews. Some sports were awful to watch(Baseball, for one), some were painful, most were enthralling, quite a bit were nerve-wracking. But, you know, it makes sense that out of football; basketball(guys and girls); baseball; softball(fastpitch and slowpitch); tennis(guys and girls); track(guys and girls); archery; arena football; doing profiles of players, coaches, or announcers; statistical roundups of the seasons, talking about schedules; (and if you include for fun, ping pong, volleyball, really slow-pitch softball, mini golf, Ultimate Frisbee, or Bible trivia), some of those stories stacked up over awhile would be easier to narrate than others.

   When I started, I was a short, skinny eighth grader, terribly shy and scared out of my wits, who liked sports, and who enjoyed writing. From having to talk with coaches, players, people behind the scenes in the press boxes, parents, etc; I learned to conquer most of that shyness, and as I type this I'm a short, skinny high school senior, who still loves sports, and enjoys writing, though he knows he needs a lot more work to improve to where he wants to be.

   For a while, it seemed kind of...I don't know, I guess boring would be the right word, everything was so routine. Not enough of a challenge, most of the time I could pretty accurately predict the synopsis of how the game would go before it even started, and could get a good idea of what coachspeak would be used to describe it. And then fighting through to get the tale, basically the same as the one two days before, out to the people, who would read and then forget about it. I guess it was probably about March or April of last year that something felt like it was just a little off, a little wrong. So I examined it, and it seemed like the Lord was gently pointing out to me, "Wesley, you've got a gift here, but you don't have the right attitude about your gift, you aren't using it the right way." My focus was off, on myself instead of the people involved. So, I, little by little, began to back off the intensity and focus on other things(Like schoolwork.)

   You know how there's that saying about how God works in ways that to us seem mysterious, or the analogy about the cross-stitch that's our lives? That we don't usually understand what's going on until we step back? Well, after winning a slot as part of the Oklahoma delegation for the nationwide Youth Tour, and the trip to Washington D.C. that was the prize, (and thus, since the group was the best writers in the state, a little too proud of myself, though surprised I was in that category), about two days after we got home, I found out the website I'd been writing for was closing down. That was tough, it had meant a ton of exposure and great criticism for improvement. And about this time, things weren't going quite so well at the paper I'd been doing most of the sportswriting for, either. The guys from the bigger paper up the road wanted more space, and since daily papers are higher on the pecking order than twice-a-week papers, and since I wasn't technically an employee, merely a freelancer, I had less and less to cover. When fall came around, bringing with it the return to school and school athletics, for various reasons I was assigned the task of following the fastpitch softball team of the secondary town in the coverage area, instead of football at the main school, softball at the main school, or even football at the second school.
 
   Was I disappointed? Yeah.
 
   Was I a little mad? Yeah.
 
   Bit I figured that as long as God had placed me here, I may as well do the best job at it that I could. It was either that or quit writing altogether, and I needed all the published stories I could get to impress colleges. So I wrote about softball, which I don't really understand, and is only a slightly prettier cousin of baseball, which is incredibly hard to write about, and even harder to stay awake while viewing. And you know what I found out? That yes, softball is baseball's cousin, but it's interesting to watch. And yeah, it's basically the same game, but the strategy is so much different. And I think most of all, the atmosphere was so much in contrast to the baseball I'd seen so much of. You know, where the players stoically observe, only to make noises when barking(literally) encouragement to the batter. And parents and grandparents either watch tensely, yelling at people for mistakes, or talking quietly amongst themselves about Ford's new cars, why Jessica couldn't babysit the kids, or debating the merits of the political candidates. Nope, softball players make up cheers(which, if you stop and think about it, isn't all that strange, since most of them are cheerleaders), bunt often(creating dramatic moments of "Will she beat out the throw?") and the parents, they were some of the friendliest people I've come across as a group, around any field. Lady everyone called Grandma B passing out pop to fans(or thirsty sportswriters) on hot August days, the way everyone seemed to know everyone else's grandkids and were all keeping an eye on them, the little kids praying a ball would fly foul so they could chase it, encouragement shouted loudly towards whoever needed it, the amused counting of how many balls would hit the roof of the concession stand each game, it was just a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere that was so different from any of the others. I enjoyed it. They didn't complain much about mistakes, just occasionally correcting my spelling, glad that their daughters and nieces and granddaughters got some notice for their efforts out on the ball field.

   With the close of the season in October, I was left without a job, so it's been a pretty quiet winter. Hard to adjust to causally spectating during a game, though I'm slowly relearning a process first grasped at ten months. Hopefully this fall or a little later I can find a place onto a newspaper or something, Lord willing, but if not, well, I'm happy for the time I've had.

AI-S11 Stevie Wonder/Whitney Houston Results

Didn't really watch tonight...busy with college apps and graduation planning...

I guess the bottom four were Elise, Jeremy, Jermaine and Shannon, and they sent Jeremy home.

HOW did America not kick out Jermaine?

I'm 0-for-2 on my picks this season....

American Idol Season 11 Top 13 - Stevie Wonder/Whitney Houston Night

 

   Last night I discovered I hate Whitney Houston songs, and I dislike most Stevie Wonder music. Or maybe I just detest two hours worth of them without a break.

Joshua Ledet - I Wish - High energy to kick off the show, he was all right, not awful. Forgettable all over, and I was impressed by his ability to shout that loudly for that long.

Elise Testone - I'm Your Baby Tonight - She sounded old. Her vocal wasn't the best tonight, it was forgettable.

Jermaine Jones - Knocks Me Off My Feet - ZZzzzz.....I yawned eight times during his performance. That says all you need to know.

Erika Van Pelt - I Believe in You and Me - Dull. The guitar was cool, the chorus was okay.

Colton Dixon - Not great, but good. The song was too dated, it sounded like it came off some type of cheesy musical.

Shannon Magrane - I Have Nothing - Some kind of soundtrack, is what this was. Just couldn't figure out what movie it should have gone with, only thing I was coming up with was The Little Mermaid, which wasn't quite right. She was okay, didn't see what all the judges were yapping about(But then, I usually am watching a different show than they are.)

DeAndre Brackensick - Master Blaster - Cool title. Bad dancing. Voice, eh....It was just a little strange.

Skylar Laine - Where Do Broken Hearts Go - Good. Pretty song. It could still be played on the radio, it's the main credits song.

Heejun Han - All in Love is Fair - Good. Dull, but good.

Hollie Cavanagh - All the Man That I Need - Very good. I hate Whitney songs, but that was very good.

Jeremy Rosado - Ribbon in the Sky - Straight up from Dullsville, USA. It was boring, but all right, I suppose.

Jessica Sanchez - I Will Always Love You - Should anyone else sing this? I couldn't tell much difference between her and the real thing, which I suppose means she's a phenomenal vocalist, but it was just okay for me.

Phillip Phillips - Superstition - Guitar! Great. Good song. Interesting voice. He was shouting too much, but I liked it.

I have no idea what's up with this font...I changed it for emphasis on Elise, and then it switched itself a couple of times after that....

Best of the night - In order of performance - Hollie, Skylar, Colton, Heejun, and Phillip. 

In trouble for sure are: DeAndre, Erika, Jeremy, and Jermaine, Shannon might be on the bubble. The bottom guy/girl will be Erika and Jermaine, they'll send Jermaine home to make it an even six-six split for the Top 12. 

Encouragement from VeggieTales

   Getting ready for college can be kinda stressful. And a little scary. So...uncertain, of not knowing what's up ahead.
 
   Anyway, to procrastinate filling out the seventeenth or so application I need to finish, I watched an episode of VeggieTales with my little brother. (Was it nice? Yes. Was it slightly selfish? Uh...maybe. Does he hate VeggieTales? Unfortunately, yes. File under culture class, I guess.) He seemed to think it was okay, the one we watched was "Josh and the Big Wall".

   It was ever better now than I remembered then - the wonderful little background touches like the sheep falling over(a nod to "Dave and the Giant Pickle", remember?) or during applause following a rousing inspirational speech, a character asking Pa Grape; "How are we clapping?" His response: "I have no idea." The crazy, outlandish things like getting pelted with slushies, the priests playing "When The Saints Go Marchin' In" while the Israelites march around Jericho, or Jimmy and Jerry Gourd building the Wallminator 3000 rocket to blow the wall to smithereens.
 
   And of course, you can't forget Larry's Silly Song, can you? In this case, "The Song of the Cebu," usually ranked in the top three of all-time classic VeggieTales tunes. The reason Archibald was so hilarious in that is because of his rigid, tell-the-story-now, get-on-with-it demeanor, and getting all flustered at Larry, Jimmy, Jerry and Junior for their low-key attitude towards the unprecedented, multi-media event. "WHY is the sad cebu sad? Does the hippo SEE them? Is the poor mute cebu able to effectively communicate the imminent danger to the other passengers? Is the boy injured? Is the canoe wooden, or aluminum?" I can laugh, because I completely understand how he felt. I'm like that about watching movies, or reading books, or whatever, too, and get irritated with people who merely watch passively as entertainment, not trying to think deeper about every little detail. (Maybe that's why I don't watch much TV or movies, I'd drive everyone nearby insane with my questioning, minute inspections of every facet of how they told the story, and memorizing the entire script.)
 
   The was a song that first Larry, as Joshua, sang, and then Junior sang also, that goes like this, "God has given this land to us/No need to fuss, He knows what He's doing/The Lord has given this land to us/If we will follow Him." Fits well in the story, knowing that even though walking around the walls of Jericho to destroy them sounds crazy, but also knowing that God had a reason for it, some plan that they didn't see, they were going to try it anyway, just (more or less) trusting it would work, that God would lead them through it.

    Leaving this familiar world of home and high school into the college enviroment of dorms, studying for a degree, and who know what else is kind of frightening. But it's also just part of life, of growing up. Which brings a whole lot of things to think about, and wondering if the crazy thing that seems like it might ought to be started should really be tried or not. This is a confusing, post to follow, I imagine, since I can't even follow which way I want to lead these points to, but what I'm trying to say, I guess, was that it was just a blessing to be reminded that God's there, working things out the way he wants them in my life. If that involves some things that seems to me to be crazy, well...I just need to examine carefully if they're really something I need to do, and if so, hang on to wherever they lead.

   It's funny, though, that I've always pictured Jericho just like it is in the show - A tall, dark, menacing stone fortress set in the middle of an arid desert with no signs of life anywhere nearby.

Eye of the Reindeer

     Me and my sister were playing one of our ping pong marathons one night in December a few months ago. The thing you need to realize about this is that while we love each other, and would generally give a favorable opinion of the other if asked, we hate losing. (Blame our dad, we got it from him.)
    So, to ramp up the competitive energy, we cranked up the high-energy country and rock music. After listening to Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger", one or the other of us said, being full of holiday spirit, "It's the eye of the reindeer/It's the thrill of the flight..." Then we got to thinking, "Hey, that might be something...." So we finished our game(she probably won, she wins sixty-five percent of the time), and I grabbed a notebook.

Intro-

(Bells for two measures, then electric guitar, drums, etc. jumps in.)

Verse one-

Risin' up, back in the sky

It's my time, on the team

Went the distance, now I'm back on my hooves

Just a buck living out his dream...

Verse two-

So many times, it happens so fast

You trade your passion for glory

Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past

You must fight, just to keep that joy alive...

Chorus-

It's the eye, of the reindeer, it's the thrill of the flight

Risin' up to the challenge of the elves

There's that one set of presents that needs to get out tonight

And he's watchin' us all with the eye, of the reindeer...

Verse three-

Face-to-face, out in the cold

Hangin' tough, flyin' hungry

They stack the odds, still we take to the sky

For the thrill of the squeals of delight...

[Chorus]

Verse four-

Risin' up, straight to the top

Had the guts, got the glory

Went the distance, now I'm not gonna quit 

Just a buck and his will to please kids...

Chorus-

It's the, eye of the reindeer, it's the thrill of the flight

Risin' up to the challenge of  the elves

There's that last set of presents that need to get out tonight

And he's watchin' us all with the eye, of the reindeer...

Outro-

The eye of the reindeer...

The eye of the reindeer...

The eye of the reindeer...

The eye of the reindeer...

American Idol Season 11 Top 13

   Well, since they chopped down the semifinals into ONE week due to overshowing Hollywood and Las Vegas, we've already found who's in the Top 13. I can live with most of the picks, and 7/10 isn't a bad way to start the season.

We have....

Colton Dixon, from Murpheesboro, Tennessee - He's pretty distinctive, not that many guys wear mohawks. He's likable, friendly, has stage presence and can sing. He's ready for the radio right now, but a little coaching wouldn't hurt.

DeAndre Brackensick, from San Jose, California - Again, easy to tell which one he is (The guy with flowing curly locks). You don't hear a voice as high as his very often, he won't last too long.

Elise Testone, from Charleston, South Carolina - She's all right, not great. Just solidly pretty good, though on the forgettable side.

Erika Van Pelt, from South Kingstown, Rhode Island - This former DJ doesn't have much to remind America of her, except a tendency to select songs that focus on vocal power, but otherwise, she's nothing special. Had to get a wild-card, she won't get much farther.

Heejun Han, from Flushing, New York - This guy is...how you say it?...hysterical. And he can sing very well. One of the front-runners at this point.

Hollie Cavanagh, from McKinney, Texas - This girl is GOOD. She could totally be on the radio right now, I'd buy her CD. She's pretty, in a common sort of way, and she seems friendly, like that girl you go to school with. Best shot to break the five-year streak of guys winning the show. If she's going to do that, though, she'll need to capitalize on the coaching she gets.

Jeremy Rosado, from Valrico, Florida - He's a nice guy, but that only gets you so far. His voice isn't enough to hang with some of the others in this group, I think he'll get a mid-round exit, based on personality extending his stay. Had to get a wild-card to get this far.

Jermaine Jones, from Pine Hill, New Jersey - UGH. He loves his mama, we know that. He has the deepest voice I can remember hearing in a while. He's a wild-card, who I predict will be among the first to pack his bags.

Jessica Sanchez, from San Diego, California - I'm not sure why America let her in. Not a fan of her voice, doesn't seem to have much personality.

Joshua Ledet, from Westlake, Louisiana - He's a black church singer. He might be good, but I detest that style of music. He'll get farther than Jermaine will, because the black people will vote for him.

Phillip Phillips, from Leesburg, Georgia - He seems like a good guy to know. He's quiet, so you don't remember him off personality, but isn't that kind of a good thing? Most talented this season at arranging his performances, he's a very good guitarist.

Shannon Magrane, from Tampa, Florida - Somehow she rubs me the wrong way, I'm not sure why. The song she picked Wednesday was nice.

Skylar Laine, from Brandon, Mississippi - Terrific. She's country to the core, and you can feel that, unlike some contestants this year and previously. Funny, and a lot like Miranda Lambert. She definitely has a shot at winning.

So, that's that. Of the guys, I think Colton, Heejun and Phillip are the leaders, and the girls' only hopes are Hollie and Skylar. It's a five horse race for now, even though we're just getting into the starting gate, but it should be a good one to watch.

I Love This Barn

Toby Keith's "I Love This Bar" has always been begging for a parody. And while it's nowhere close to Tim Hawkins or that Asian guy's hysterical "Jesus Take The Wheel" spoofs, it was fun to pull together.
 Thus, I Love This Barn. (Now to make a video for it...)

 VERSE ONE

We got caprines, we got rust stains

We got a slick floor when it rains,

And we got cute chicks, we got dog ticks

Food sacks, discarded guitar picks

And the dogs sing about their broken hearts...ohhhh, I love this barn...

CHORUS

I love this barn

It's my kind of place

Just walkin' through the front door

Puts a big smile on my face

It ain't too far, come as you are

Ohhhh, I love this barn...

VERSE TWO

We got security guards,  we've got plenty of hay

We've got roosters that will crow any time of day

And I've seen layers, I've seen fighters,

I've even seen crazy zip-liners

There's that pile of broken mower parts...ohhh, I love this barn...

CHORUS

I love this barn

It's my kind of place

Just walkin' through the front door

Puts a big smile on my face

It ain't that far, come as you are

Ohhhh, I love this barn

BRIDGE

Well, I liked my job, I like to see the Cowboys win,

I like eating out for dinner, I like a movie now and then....

CHORUS

But I love this barn

It's so peaceful in here

None of that stressful atmosphere

It's free of charge, so come as you are

Ohhh, I love this barn.

American Idol Season 11 Top 12 Girls

The girls started out awful, and by the end edged up slightly to okay. With two notable exceptions.

Chelsea Sorrell - Cowboy Casanova - She did a god imitation of Carrie, but nothing more. That's not enough at this point.

Erika Van Pelt - What About Love - Really? ANY girl could sing that song and sound good, it's just that type of tune. It doesn't showcase anything, and easily classifies as "Forgettable". She did look comfortable out there, though.

Jen Hirsh - One and Only - Dull. Excruciatingly dull. I like her in Groovesauce and Lady and the Spectacles, but never liked her much as an individual singer.

Brielle Von Hugel - SIttin' on the Dock of the Bay - Interesting beginning, her sitting with the guys and then flouncing upstage, but the song...is...
If it must be sang on Idol, it should only be an audition song. And she has WAY TOO MUCH New York attitude.

Hallie Day - Feelin' Good - Boring. Bad all over. Her lips are enormous, her face looked predatory and masculine. Yawnnnn....

Skylar Laine - Stay With Me - This girl has ATTITUDE!!! The good kind! Skylar ROCKED it. Very good.

Baylie Brown - Amazed - As soon as Ryan told us which song she'd be attempting, I was like, "Oh crap," And I was right. That was horrendous, girls. do. not. sing. this. song.

Hollie Cavanagh - Reflection - Nervous at the first line, but after that....she was wonderful. She looked at home, she's nice-looking, she has a great voice, she, like Colton, could be on the radio RIGHT THIS SECOND. That just left us all like "Wow." Very, very good.

Haley Johnsen - Sweet Dream - Haley, Haley, Haley.....you could choose any song you wanted, and you went with...whatever that was? If she would have picked almost anything else, I think she'd be through, but with that ninety-second freak-out, she bombed her way out.

Shannon Magrane - Light Up Your World - It's a nice song that you don't hear often enough, it was kind of good.

Jessica Sanchez - Love You I Do - Catchy song, hate her voice, it was forgettable. And the glitter on her chin...seriously?

Elise Testone - One and Only - Multiple contestants shouldn't be allowed to sing the same song in the same show. It was okay, still dull, boring and forgettable, but much better than Jen's version. The piano was a nice touch.

Hollie blew everyone out of the water like I was hoping she would, she's a lock. Skylar's in. The other three...I'm not sure, nobody else really stood out all that much. I guess Shannon, Elise and Haley, because either America or the judges will take sympathy on that nightmare performance. The girls overall are even more unimpressive than last year, and they're picking even worse songs.

Now to see how accurate my picks were...(I'm an awful prognosticator, routinely finishing in fifth or sixth place of our six-person group.)