Fall Impact De-Briefing

Here's a short list of some of the things that happened at fall impact this year.

1. When we were setting up lights and projectors, Benji Robinson spent nearly 3 hours stealing 1/2" bolts from wheelchairs, pianos, etc... so we could hang everything properly.

2. Matt Monson's wife had a baby on Saturday morning and they left camp and went racing down to Riverside hospital. Which is right next to the OSU campus. Which happened to be the same day of the OSU Michigan game. It's a miracle they didn't give birth in the car.

3. We ran the dreaded "Trash Can Run" on Saturday afternoon (thanks Mike & Foster for testing it) and a 6th grader got absolutely annihilated. He's got a lisp now, but he's ok.

4. We ran 4-Way capture the flag on a massive Braveheart sized field with bonfires. I'm amazed we still don't have some people lost in the woods.

5. Saturday night's service is now in my top 5 services of all time. There was such an amazing reality of God in that room... I still haven't been able to put into words how real it was...

6. Joe & Matt rigged up a huge 50 x 30 foot projection system that used 4 projectors seamlessly. It lit the back of the stage during worship.

All in all, it was an amazing retreat. We put all the 1/2" bolts back except the ones from the wheelchair. We wanted to mount a hidden camera so we could see what happens when someone sits in it... but that would add insult to injury.

Uhura

My question to people wearing these bluetooth headsets is this.... "Are you really getting that many phone calls?"

I can understand when you're driving. But at the store, in the mall, at your kids soccer game, getting tattooed, street fights...??? Come on people. No one is that popular.

naptime

I still find it hard to believe that it's a good idea to sell these.

"Having a hard time staying awake while driving?"

Try one of our heated, massage chairs for that long car ride. It's sure to comfort and sooth you while you catch a little shut eye on I-71. Let your worries and cares be massaged away while you drive over a bridge.

Tim Horton and other rants

1. If Wendy's is Dave Thomas' successful daughter, then Tim Horton is his foster son. I've only been there twice, once for coffee and once for chili, and both times I felt like I was on another planet. A planet full of non-english speaking slow bumbling morons. And the coffee tasted worst than bile.

2. I'm not sure how we ever lived prior to the invention of the DVR. After you use one of these things for a while...you think it applies to everything. I've reached for the dial on the radio to re-wind it.

3. Casino Royale is the best James Bond since Dr. No.

4. Time Warner does not carry the NFL Network. And the NFL is the most popular of all pro sports in the US. And I'm going to miss the Green Bay / Minnesota game in a few weeks because we have Time Warner. I'll get you for this Ted Turner.

5. I just read that they're making an Incredible Hulk sequel. Because, obviously that first one was a huuuuuge success.

6. Joe & Matt figured out how to link 4 projectors together to make a 45 foot seamless video wall for praise & worship. And all for around $300.

7. The zune is an amazing attempt to piggyback on the cultural success of the ipod. But it's just a copycat.

impact: Medal of Honor

We've been talking with Joe, and it looks like we will be setting up a server to play a regularly scheduled round of Medal of Honor. Some of the most memorable moments at impact have been sitting across a table of people trying to kill you. And most of the time, that was Josh...sniping me from some tree.

So, this is a general call to arms. If you would be interested in playing a game of MOH once a week or so... Please respond and we'll be e-mailing you with the details. And don't be bringing your "I want to play World of Warcraft" garbage up in here. We shoot Nazi's at impact...so get over it.

The only requirements are that you are in some way connected or have been connected to impact. If you've ever been, wanted to go or weren't allowed because of jail time...You're in.

Let us know!

Well, now we know...

Salvador Part 2

Back in September, I posted about Salvador. The non-english speaking McDonald's worker who only knows the phrase "Have a good day, man." I visited him this morning.

My comment to him was "There's a tour bus full of elderly people that's overturned and on fire out back".

He gave me a thumbs up and a big smile.

Soundtrack

Josh recently posted this...and I thought we'd give it a whirl. It's pretty funny.

If your life was a movie, what would the soundtrack be?

Opening Credits: L-O-V-E / Natalie Cole

Waking Up: Tickertape of the Unconscious / Thievery Corp

First Day at School: I'm in the Way / Jars of Clay

Falling in Love: Hayling / FC Kahuna

Fight Song: Tess / David Holmes - Oceans 11 OST (I must be weak)

Breaking Up: Noticed / Mute Math

Prom: Invisible Wounds / Fear Factor - Resident Evil OST

Life's OK: City Love / John Mayer

Mental Breakdown: Hail to the Chief / John Phillip Sousa (oh, man...)

Driving: El Garbonzo / Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass

Flashback: The Last Time He Saw Dorie / Copeland

Getting Back Together: This Thing Called Love / Johnny Cash

Birth of Child: Disk 3 of 8 / Rick Warren The Purpose Driven Life (it's over an hour long)

Wedding: Welcome to the Real World / Don Davis The Matrix OST

Final Battle: I Want You / Madonna & Massive Attack

Death Scene: Crickets SFX / Sounddogs.com (that's frightening)

Funeral Song: Dance Dance / Fallout Boy

End Credits: Tikal / E.S. Posthumus

You never know what you're gonna get with shuffle.

Leaves

As fall comes to an end...and the leaves have all turned. Our minds turn to just that...leaving. This week has been filled with people who've left. Here's a few of them...

1. Britney Spears - Left K-Fed. Apparently, she couldn't stomach living with a man who got booed on the Teen Choice Awards.

2. Donald Rumsfeld - He left us looking for a new Secretary of Defense. He said it was because of a "rocky start in Iraq". Rocky wasn't really the word I was thinking of...

3. San Fransisco 49ers - They're leaving San Fransisco and their home at Candlestick Park. Apparently, they're making plans to build a new stadium in Santa Clara. The Santa Clara 49ers sounds like a retirement home's young adult program.

last one out

I managed to vote today. This might seem like a "big whoop" moment for most of you...but it was pretty hard getting there. I voted provisional ballot, and there's a chance that it may not even be counted.

They closed precinct 4-E tonight at 7:57 as I walked out the doors. I was officially the last person to vote in the Grace United Methodist church at "The Wedge".

Gina was running errands so the kids were all mine. Roman & Syd got an amazing 2 course meal of Mac & Cheese followed up with apples. Cass sucked down a can of spaghetti-O's (which should be in their own category of the food pyramid). Roman and I hammered out his homework (counting by 5's, 10's, 2's and 3's) and we drew sea creatures. When I realized how late it was, I drop kicked the kids over to Joe & Amy's house while I broke all speed limit laws to get in before the cutoff.

This is all pales in comparison to the hours people wait in line to vote. To the veterans who have fought to keep us voting. To the patriots who serve in government offices all over the country. And it certainly pales in comparison to the Board of Elections staff who deal with more stress than I'll ever know.

It's a huge need for me to vote. It isn't like I'm a super patriotic person... but I feel like we're legitimizing those who have worked so hard to give us that freedom. And it all boils down to something that makes me feel safe.

I managed to vote today.

podcast update

It just got picked up on iTunes and it's here.

for all three of you who care.

flatrabbits podcast

Well, you knew it was only a matter of time. Tonight, the first flatrabbits podcast went on the air and all the people rejoiced. Actually, that sound is really the people begging it to stop, but I'm ignoring it.

You can subscribe to the podcast here. It will be on iTunes in a few days.

writing environment

It's becoming increasingly obvious how much music has played into the writing we do. A group of us will get together and brainstorm ideas, we'll divvy up (can't believe I wrote divvy) the writing assignments and off we'll go. Normally I let a few days go by to start processing the ideas before I sit down to write...and then I have to choose music for the writing process.

Looking back over the past 4 months and the content we've created...it's obvious how much influence the music has had on our writing. It doesn't always happen in a purposeful way...but if we're writing a serious piece...I like to put in something that has the same feel as what we're writing. And that music inevitably ends up coming into play if it was written for video. Here are some examples...

A lighthearted drama about relationships - Something's Gotta Give OST
A nice combination of Eartha Kitt and Deon Jackson

A heavier drama - Anything by Hans Zimmer or Craig Armstrong
Craig Armstrong's Piano Works is amazing
Hans Zimmer's Last Samurai is very epic

Montage - Boston, KidKoala, or Percy Faith
Boston is in every Adam Sandler movie ever created
KidKoala is the greatest dj alive
Percy Faith reeks of elevator music and something you'd hear in a Sears dressing room

I'd be curious to see over time how this music changes over time. Some are classics...and others may just be a passing phase.

Foam Cutters & Nina Simone

Santone and I spent the last few days cutting some foam letters with a hot knife. Which, coincidentally...will cut through it's own power cord if you you're not careful.

The fumes that hit your nose while you're cutting...are enough to bring new words to your mind. Colorful metaphors. We put on a little Nina Simone - Sinnerman while we cut...and it made everything OK. Either that, or we were getting a little too happy.

You may remember this from that amazing sequence from The Thomas Crown Affair. Either way, you can get an earful of this amazing song right here. Get your own styrofoam and hotknife to complete the experience.

muddy waters

On Friday, I tried brewing my first cup of coffee from home. Either I added too much coffee, or not enough water. Whatever the problem was, the black molasses coming out of the coffee pot smelled like coffee but looked like syrup.

The true sign of an addict, though...is when you pour water in it to dillute it and drink it anyway. It tasted horrible, but I downed it. Santone is giving me a different coffee maker to see if it's any better.

Possibly the greatest invention is the one that starts brewing it at the same time you wake up. Ingenious.

eggs

Santone and I have a long running conversation that we have some questions about...

We haven't done any research on this topic, because we want to find someone who emphatically knows the answer. If that's you...please let us know. If it's not...don't go research it and ruin it for the rest of us. We want someone who knows the answer off the top of their head.

"How do hens lay eggs?

Do they go "hook up" with a rooster and then lay eggs?

Do they have to do that every time?"

Some people say that they have to get busy every time. Others say that the hen lays the eggs regardless...and then the rooster goes and does something to them. Still others say that they keep hens and roosters separate...so how can they lay eggs?

Now's your chance to educate us.

night time?

Has anyone noticed how it's never night time on Prison Break? I understand it's not a show like 24, and we don't have to see every move these guys make...but sheesh. And what happened with that one crazy guy and the sailboat?