Knockin' on heaven's door...

I am freakin' old!

I turned 35 today and I feel like an old man!

This is the portrait I had made in celebration of my birthday down at JC Penney's today.
Crap, when did I start shopping at Penney's?

What happened?

Where did my youth go?

Oh, well I ordered my walker today!It's all downhill towards the grave from here!

OMG, I'm freakin' fat!

To borrow a term from Austin Powers, "I'm a Fat Bastard!"

But that doesn't make me a bad person!

Yeah, I know I could stand to lose a lit...umm, a lot of weight. And I know that my health would be better if I did, but it's important to remember that fat people are not bad people who should be shunned!

This is a great video that addresses the issue of being fat. I think it was primarily intended for women, but I think the message is a great one and should be spread.

Courtesy of my good friend from college, Abby, who posted it on MySpace:

Nigger, Nigga, Niggaz...

An amazing poem on the prevelance and origin of one of the worst words in American history. For heavens sake people stop using this word!

Courtesy of my friend Donovan W. who is a PhD student at Harvard in the History of American Civilization Department.

Dropkick Murphys and The Departed

I mentioned my new obsession with the band Dropkick Murphys (DKM) a week or so ago (here).

If you're not familiar with DKM they did the theme song for The Departed, which won the Best Picture Oscar this year. The movie is bloody amazing...and down right bloody!

Here's a synopsis: Two men from opposite sides of the law are undercover within the Massachusetts State Police and the Irish mafia, but violence and bloodshed boil when discoveries are made, and the moles are dispatched to find out their enemy's identities. (courtesy IMDB)

Here's the video for the theme song I'm Shipping Up to Boston by DKM:

Woo-Hoo!

I just notice that Fr. Fox over at Bonfire of the Vanities has put my humble blog in his blogroll!

It made my day! Admittedly, I'm a simple, simple man...but it totally rocked my world!

Thanks Fr. Fox!

Thanks Be to God and Boomer Sooner!

Debunking An Inconvenient Truth

Here's a great BBC documentary that shows the flaws in the arguments of those who support the Global Warming theory, especially Al Gore.

It's kinda long, but well worth it!

And now...The Great Global Warming Swindle

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Random thoughts and iPod shuffle of the week...

I'm really struggling right now. Mainly with my academic work. I am so overwhelmed with it all!

I think I've mentioned that in order to graduate this semester I'm having to take 5 classes and an incomplete, so basically 6 classes. The normal load here is 4 classes per semester. So the simple fact that I'm overloaded with work is really getting to me now.

Combine that with the fact that I've got a monster mid-term exam on Wednesday, a paper due on Friday, and the majority (75%) of my incomplete work due a week from Friday and I'm really just trying to keep my head above water right now.

On top of all this I'm facing having to pass the HDS Spanish language exam in May to graduate also, that is if I manage to make it through all of the classwork above! I've got so much work with my classes I have no bloody idea how I'm going to have time to study for the Spanish exam! And if I don't pass the Spanish exam, I can't graduate.

To add some extra pressure to the cooker, I'm pretty sure some friends of mine are going to be making the trip here to see my graduate. What if I don't pass that exam and thus don't graduate? They will have traveled half way across the country to see me graduate and I will have let them down!

It's all getting to be a little much. I could really use some prayer and Godly intervention.

Now, for something more fun...the ever popular iPod Shuffle of the Week:

1. Up! Shania Twain
2. God Help Me. Rebecca St. James
3. Wide Open Spaces. Dixie Chicks
4. Cover Me. FFH
5. Tight. Stacie Orrico
6. Whole Again. Jennifer Knapp
7. Classical Gas. Vanessa Mae
8. Flood. Jars of Clay
9. Dear Friend. Stacie Orrico
10. Screen Door. Rich Mullins

The rules, for bloggers who want to play:
Get your iPod or media-player of choice set the thing to shuffle, then post the first ten songs that come out. No cheating, no matter how stupid it makes you feel!

Thanks Be to God and Boomer Sooner!

A day late but still fun!

Your Leprechaun Name Is:

Lucky McNugget

What's" Your Leprechaun Name?

Hair Bands in the Bible?

Oh happy day!

The University of Illinois has officially retired the racist depiction of the indigenous inhabitants of this hemisphere found in the persona of Chief Illiniwek! (story here)

The University of Illinois has voted to retire the name "Chief Illinwek," his associated regalia, and image.

This is a great day in Indian Country! This has been a long and arduous journey of education.

For those of you who don't understand the mascot controversy, I simply ask you:

Would it be appropriate to have a sports team known as the San Antonio Spics, Chicago Kikes, or the Atlanta Sambos?

If these mascots or nicknames are not appropriate then why is it appropriate to name sports teams after indigenous peoples or personas?

Yes, there is a long way to go...but today is a great step in ending this blatant racism.

Perhaps?

Perhaps Boston is growing on me. I've always been a fan of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones...but, now the Dropkick Murphys are really growing on me.

I mean, who couldn't love a song called The Spicy McHaggis Jig?

trip to DC...

So, I realized I never posted anything about my trip to DC in February....well, I've put together a photo-essay. Hope you enjoy

This is the DC Youth Hostel where I spent my magical weekend!
The room I stayed in at the Hostel.

My bunk...lucky #7!

The BEST place I ate during my entire time in DC, Ben's Chili Bowl! If you're in the area you should definitely check it out. It's at U & 13th St. NW.

Inside the Chili Bowl.

Ben's rocked my culinary world!

The arch in Chinatown. Chinatown is a hoppin' place day or night!

National Museum of the American Indian
The blog owner outside the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI).

NMAI

View from front of the NMAI looking towards the Capitol. I love the placement of the trash bin to catch any crappy legislation they try to send to Indian Country!

Raven Steals the Sun by my favorite artist, Preston Singletary (Tlingit)

Maybe the coolest thing in the NMAI, a fully beaded pair of Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars!

A HUGE wall 'guns! Does anyone remember that scene from Demolition Man where Sylvester Stallone breaks into a museum to get some guns?

A wall o'Bibles in indigenous languages...similar to the wall o'guns.

A Bible with buckskin cover and quillwork.

A beaded bag with Bl. Kateri Tekakwitha

National Air & Space Museum

A DC-3...it's the plane my granpa flew during WWII and his entire career.

The Spirit of St. Louis

The helicopter that Ross Perot flew around the world.

Does Harvard have to be everywhere?

Space Monkey! A monkey (stuffed, I hope!) they sent into space.

National Museum of American History

The museum is closed for renovations, so they have an exhibit at the Air & Space Museum where they've displayed these gems American History...

Kermit the Frog

R2D2 & C3PO

Prince's guitar, Tito Puente's drums, and you can just see Dizzy Gillespie's trumpet.

The Seinfeld puffy shirt, with Mr. Rogers' sweater (right) and Archie Bunker's chair (left).

National Aquiarium

Don't bother unless you have kids and want to occupy them for about an hour. One of the few DC attractions that charges admission...and not worth it!

Ummm...I thought it was obvious?

A view of the Capitol looking down Pennsylvania Ave., and yes I'm standing in the middle of the street to get this shot!

View of the Washington Memorial from the top of the Lincoln Memorial (you can see the WWII Memorial just in front of the Washington Memorial).

That would be the blog owner with the Washington Memorial and the Smithsonian Castle in the background.

The White House
Me at the White House.

Scary security dude on top of the White House!

The Boy Scout Memorial.

Is anyone else creeped out by the naked guy standing behind the Boy Scout?

World War II Memorial

Portion of Roosevelt's famous speech.

Looking toward the Atlantic side of the Memorial.

The Pacific side of the Memorial.

Looking towards the Lincoln Memorial.

Looking towards the Washington Memorial.

Florida.

Each of these pillar-things represents a state or territory of the US during the War.

Oklahoma.

Massachusetts.

As a friend of mine said..."Damn skippy!"

The Atlantic side of the Memorial.

Looking towards the Pacific side from the Atlantic.

This wall of stars is in memory of those that lost their lives during the war.

Harry Truman quote.

Korean War Memorial

Vietnam War Memorial

Lincoln Memorial
There's a hell of a lot of steps on this thing...and they were icy!

But I made it to the top and this is was my reward!

Freaky entries for the design of the Lincoln Memorial...can you imagine if one of these had won?

~~~~~

Well, there you have it...my trip to DC in a very few short photos (I took over 400!). It was a great time and I definitely needed the time away from Boston.

Thanks be to God and Boomer Sooner!