Can I Graduate?

My broseph walked across the stage for graduation from high school this past weekend. Wow, time really flies. As this school year came to an end, I realized, "Crap, I'm a junior." The first two years of college really flew by.

So, my kid brother is not a kid anymore. He is an 18-year-old college boy. Never thought the day would actually happen. I still picture him as the little boy playing with his "mans" all over the house and riding his bike all over the neighborhood.

If he is getting old, then surely I am turning into a codger. I've been looking back at my life and searching for what I have done to make a difference, what I have accomplished as a 20-year-old.

I only wish I had done more in high school, then I would be so much farther along than I am today. Now, I have to go back and do those things I didn't do in high school, like find my passions and all those things I enjoy.

I feel I have done a lot and have a ton more to do. I believe I have done more than the average 20-year-old. I only hope to do more as the year progresses. I need to do so much in the next two years before I graduate.

Dub will be going to college soon with his new laptop, which is so much better than mine (and at half the price, my how technology changes in two years!). He is going to UCO, which is a good choice for him. UCO is a great school and it has tons of possibilities. Plus, he can live at home for free.

My biggest advice from where I screwed up is to try to find something you really like before you get there. That way you can explore all the avenues of the major with a maximum amount of time instead of wasting the first two years doing almost nothing.

College is a great place to not only gain a degree but to establish contacts, create change and enjoy yourself before the real world comes crashing down.

Good luck, Pube.

Happy Gilmore

Happy Gilmore is one of the best iconic examples of the comedy genre from the 1990's. I would venture to place it on my Top 10 Comedy list of my favorite comedies of all time, maybe Top 5.

Why Gilmore sticks out so much is the strikingly original storyline that Adam Sandler created. Sandler was really one of the top guys of comedy during the decade. He was a young genius. His movies were second only to Jim Carrey during that time period.

Happy Gilmore follows the extremely successful "Billy Madison" in 1996. This movie is 12 years old and yet it still makes me laugh out loud despite the immense number of times I've seen it.

The story is genius and Sandler cronie Dennis Dugan catches the best of the story in his direction of Gilmore. They collaborated well in showing the change in crowd at golf events once bad boy Gilmore comes to town. They took a raging character that is everything golf isn't and made him bring in a new crowd.

The thing I like most about this movie is there isn't a big lull like most movies today. Most modern comedies try to mean too much or make some kind of point and usually spend about 30 painful minutes establishing that point.

Gilmore doesn't have this. It does have it's moments of meaning, but there is never a period of more than five minutes that doesn't generate a laugh.

Possibly my favorite character of the movie is Ben Stiller as the orderly at the nursing home. He is hilarious. He forces the old people to make quilts as part of "arts and crafts" and then turns and sells the quilts. There is also the mention of landscaping duty. Haha. So amazing. "You could trouble me for a glass of shut the hell up."

Bob Barker was pretty good and their fight was fantastic. The comedic violence is amazing.

This movie meant so much to my generation. How many kids tried to swing like Gilmore after this movie? I know I did. This developed a youth interest in golf though a fleeting interest.

There are countless lines from this movie that we have repeated over the years. Lines that we always said and never realized where they came from. Lines that are still used in daily conversation that our brains remember based on certain circumstances.

"Gold jacket, green jacket, who gives a -?"
"My fingers hurt."

I absolutely love this movie. The comedy is so perfect and Sandler delivers the punch throughout (literally and comically). This will always be one of my favorite movies. I could watch this movie every day for the rest of my life and laugh just the same. Gilmore is one of those movies that, although you have it memorized, is still hilarious with every viewing.

So much better than today's comedy. I was disappointed to find that Sandler and Apatow are good buddies. I think Sandler is a whole lot funnier. His 90's movies lack the Apatow-life-lesson-lull of today. They also lack the vulgarity of an Apatow movie. Whoever decided extreme vulgarity was funny is beyond me.

Gilmore is hands down Sandler's best movie to date. It is loaded with unrivaled comedy and definitely has a timeless appeal. This is slapstick at it's best.

4.5 of 5 stars

Generation Rx

Today's youth addiction is prescription medication. This has affected suburbia greatly for the past several years. I have not personally known anyone to be addicted to prescription pills, but there are many in my town.

I never understood the obsession with pills. I remember back in high school a kid would rave about having extra pain pills after surgery recovery. Everyone would be like, "Oh, that's awesome."

I would just sit there and be like, "OK."

This particular kid would mention it all the time, I guess looking for some kind of reaction. No matter how many times he said it, people would be jealous and wish they had some pain pills to get through the day. They would swap (more than likely fictional stories) about different meds they had taken while in the hospital or for some kind of sickness.

I'm pretty sure he never actually took them, he just liked to say that he had them. Again, I never saw what the big deal was. I guess the kids I knew liked to pretend they knew all about meds because it was the big thing to be in the know and the addiction to prescription medication.

I can't tell you how many movies I've seen that involve characters who ingest pills on a regular basis "to heal the pain." I think many look to medication as a type of crutch because they feel they can't do it on their own.

Those that lean on medication to get them through the day are more than likely delusional. I think a lot of people make excuses for their behavior so they take pills to help them "calm down." I think people become crazy because of their dependence on prescription meds.

I believe this is a total farce and used as a lame excuse. But whatever, I don't know everything.

So, whenever someone tells me about what kind of meds they have stashed at home or I see some movie with some addict, I just try to ignore the insanity. Today's society has become too dependent on medication to solve our problems, which instead tends to cause more.

Watch "The Chumscrubber" for a good commentary on suburbia and the kids that take pills for the "high."

Whoever Finds God, Finds Life

I've grown weary of the incessant insults directed at the methods of teaching at Life Church. Too many complain about how Life Church does business. "I couldn't watch the teacher on the screen." "Life Church is too mainstream."

Please. There is a certain point when you need to step back and look at just exactly what the church does before ripping it.

A lot of naysayers from the traditional church background would even go as far as calling Life Church immoral for it's use of rock music, televisions and videos. "That kind of thing does not belong in a church."

We've heard these whiners enough over the past 10 years. Contemporary church goers say Life Church is too commercial and tries to hard to gain membership and does not actually focus on the message.

These people are just searching for something to dis because they do not want to admit that Life Church's methods are successful. Some deep Christians claim Life Church has no room for growth, which I will agree with to a certain extent.

You must understand the mission of Life Church before you decide to insult it. Life Church's main goal is to bring in people, which I greatly applaud. We need all kinds of churches in this world to accomplish everything we can for God.

We need churches that can plug deep and drag in the unlikely. We need churches that can train future church leaders. We need churches that work solely with missions and helping others.

Life Church is a church that focuses on bringing in as many people as possible and sharing God's love with them. Life Church can do this on such an extreme level. They can market and spread the word about the church with it's 4,000 weekly attenders.

Life Church has also spread throughout the country in an effort to reach more people. Their goal is huge but attainable because of great leading from the top. Life Church does work like a corporation, but a corporation the world has never seen. A corporation that builds believers not revenue. A corporation set to change the world.

I wholeheartedly agree with Life Church's approach and greatly commend them for it. To me it's all about spreading His Word and Life Church does that very effectively. Life Church is able to reach thousands of new believers or non-Christians in a single week through multiple campuses and the Internet ("o no, a church cannot have a Web site, it's evil. We should never use the Internet to promote God's Word, I do not think God would approve.").

For those looking to grow more intimate with Him, Life Church is probably not the place for you. But don't knock Life Church for being too commercial or mainstream. That is their mission and goal. They have succeeded and will continue to succeed as long as there are unbelievers in the world. Life Church is doing it's part to change the world.

Blood Diamond

At the turn of the century, Sierra Leone, a small, coastal country in northwestern Africa, was stripped apart by civil war. The conflict was started by rebel forces who wanted to overthrow the government. Though there were many reasons for their attempt to overthrow, a big reason was the profitable diamond mines. Caught in the middle of the strife were the local people of Sierra Leone. Also, the country has the lowest life expectancy in the world at 30 years old.

The rebels and the government purged villages and towns of innocent people in their attempts to get at one another and to possess diamond mines. Most of the diamonds were never seen by the people of Sierra Leone. The government wanted them to have enough money to move into exile and the rebels wanted the diamonds to fuel their overthrow.

Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) is a fishermen caught by the rebel R.U.F. group. Throughout the movie, Solomon has a sense of innocence. He wants to be with his family and he wants his son to get a good education. He finds it difficult to lie even to save his own life. He also doesn't like the ease with which some kill people. He perfectly represents the locals.

While in the possession of the R.U.F., Solomon finds one of the biggest diamonds they've ever seen in the diamond mines. He buries it as the government attacks and arrests the rebels and their captives.

Insert Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio). The ex-South African military/mercenary hired by South African hit men to find and sell conflict diamonds on the black market. He trades arms for conflict diamonds with the rebels and the government alike. He funds the war. Archer convinces Vandy that he can save his family and that the diamond is his ticket out of the country. Archer has his own selfish desires for getting the diamond.

With help from American journalist Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly), the two find a way back to the diamond mine to find that massive diamond Solomon found. They run into Solomon's son who has been trained (aka brainwashed) by the R.U.F. to kill. They are armed with an AK-47 and told to kill the resistance. The R.U.F. uses drugs and alcohol to brainwash the kids. Eventually, they become completely different people. Solomon's son would have killed his father if he had the chance. He refuses to recognize his father.

They find the diamond and escape. Solomon carries Archer to safety, which reinforces the "carry" metaphor. Whether Archer had a change of heart or just couldn't make it, he did not steal the diamond from Solomon. Solomon escaped the country determined to bring down the fictional Van de Kaap jewelers who purchase the conflict diamonds regularly. Solomon is the hope to save his country and let the world know of the atrocities that happen in the small country.

"Blood Diamond" is a compelling story loaded with action and meaning. This is one of the best stories to come from Hollywood in the past five years. Director Edward Zwick (The Last Samurai, Legends of the Fall) presents us with a startling truth about the displeasing state of Sierra Leone.

The treatment of the locals is quite sad and discomforting. Connelley is there to document exactly what is happening. DiCaprio is the negative outsider who hates the continent but remains to steal and sell diamonds. "I used to wonder, 'Will God ever forgive us for what we've done to each other. But then I realized that God left this place a long time ago."

DiCaprio is the cynical mercenary who sees the strife and atrocities in the country but chooses to do his own work instead of helping. He believes there is no way to help the people. In the end, he helps Hounsou and Connelley expose the truth about conflict diamonds.

This movie was nominated for 5 Oscars but won none. Djimon Hounsou was ripped off for supporting actor. He was terrific and well-deserving. Probably the biggest snub of all time.

Anytime anything of value is found in Africa the locals are killed. It happened with ivory, rubber, gold and oil. And now it is happening with diamonds.

-The United States accounts for 2/3 of diamond purchases.
-Conflict diamonds represent 15% of all diamonds.
-Rather than an export for the country, the diamonds are smuggled out and traded for arms to fund the civil war.
-Neighboring country Liberia has $2 billion in diamond exports but no diamonds to speak of in the country.
-The earth is red from the spilt blood.
-As a result from this story, the Kimberley Process began which is a more in depth effort to eliminate conflict diamonds.
-Up to the consumer to ensure the diamond they buy is not a conflict diamond.
-Now, Sierra Leone is at peace.
-There are 200,000 child soldiers in Africa.

To affirm the state of Africa, Archer lives the credo "TIA." Expect everything because Africa's state is poor and anything can and will happen. What happens there is just part of the country.

This Is Africa

4.5 of 5 stars

STOP

Something is happening. There has been a revolution of messages expressed by way of stop signs. I have noticed this in the past couple of years and it has apparently become the thing to do.

The first one I saw confused me because I had no idea what it meant. I pulled up to a stop sign and saw that someone had spray painted "BUSH" on the sign beneath the word "STOP."

It took me a minute to figure out what was meant by this. But of course, it is a message that says, "Stop Bush." Regardless of whether I agreed with the message, I thought it was a pretty good idea (apart from the whole vandalizing public property thing).

Since then, I have been on the lookout for more messages on signs. I hear it has become a recreational activity to go out for a night on the town with a group of friends spray painting different things on stop signs.

This one I found in Stillwater and is one of my favorites. "Stop buying so much." Could it be more true? This is great social commentary from some faceless vandal. We do buy too much. It seems people feel that fulfillment comes with the more possessions they acquire.

Anyway, the stop sign revolution is going to change the world. Be sure to follow only the best advice from signs. I wonder who started this or where the idea came from.

If I ever spray painted a stop sign, it would say "Stop Lying."

Favorites:

"Stop cheating"
"Stop eating"
"Stop running away"
"Stop chasing dreams" - haha don't follow this one
"Stop thinking about yourself"
"Stop stealing oil"
"Stop doing what you're told" - kind of ironic, right
"Stop following the rules"
"Don't Stop"
"Stop vandalizing" - haha I hope to see this one some day

Doesn't have to be a stop sign
"One way to heaven"
"Yield your life"

Hope to see more or think of some better ones.

NFL Draft 2008

So, I realize the draft was more than a week ago, but I have been busy with finals and moving that I have not been able to blog about the draft.

I thought the Steelers cleaned house. I had not heard of their first round pick before (Mendenhall RB from Illinois), but I was very impressed with his tapes. On NFL.com, Sterling Sharpe said he would likely win rookie of the year. That would be incredible.

I'm glad they picked up another runner because Parker won't last long with 40 carries a game and his injury last season was devastating to the team's success. Mendenhall is a big, between the tackles runner and that is just what the Steelers need to complement Willie Parker's outside speed.

The best pick of the draft was the second round selection of Limas Sweed. I love this guy. He was a four year starter at Texas and Vince Young's favorite target. I can't tell you how many times he caught the jump ball in the end zone over some lame Oklahoma State cornerback.

Sweed is a playmaker and at 6'4" exactly what the Steelers need to fill the receiver vacancy. Ya, the Steelers dropped my boy Cedrick Wilson for some reason. So, prior to the draft, they had the aging Hines Ward and the ever-improving Nate Washington.

The Steelers' need for a big receiver is great. Ben has never had much to work with but has still found ways to get it done. I think if the Steelers still had ol' Plaxico, they would have won multiple Super Bowls.

I was hoping the Steelers would go after Sweed, OU's Malcolm Kelly, or OSU's Adarius Bowman. So, I was pumped they got Sweed, the best of the group.

The Steelers also picked up a couple linebackers, an offensive tackle and a safety in the draft. In the fifth round, they took Oregon's versatile quarterback Dennis Dixon.

I love this move. Of course, he won't be a quarterback in Pittsburgh. Many have compared Dixon to a new "Slash" as Kordell Stewart was back in the day. I love having Dixon. He is a replacement for Randle El. Dixon is fast and elusive. He is heady on the field and he knows how to avoid pressure.

He will make a great little receiver to execute those special plays. I see it now. Dixon to Sweed to win the Super Bowl. It is going to be awesome. I couldn't be more excited.

Now, to the disappointment. No one from Oklahoma State was drafted. How depressing is that. That is the first time I can remember that no one was drafted. I have now officially self-boycotted the media of this state. Everyone said Bowman was a for sure second or third round pick. Savage would go no later than the fifth round.

Ha, the Sports Animal lies yet again. Not only was Bowman not drafted, but he was not even picked up as a free agent. Sure, his stock went throug the toilet when he was arrested for marijuana, but come on, they are all screw-ups. I thought he was for sure. He is a very talented receiver and holds many Oklahoma State records in his two short years.

The only two Cowboys picked up were FB Julius Crosslin who went to the Dallas Cowboys and my boy Donovan Woods to the Steelers, baby!

I always liked Woods. I thought he could make a great player with a little coaching help. He always had a great eye for the field. I think he could make the team because he does have skill and the Steelers are thin at linebacker. As a linebacker, is there a better team to play for?

The Steelers are legendary for producing excellent linebackers. Let's hope for the same for D Woods.