Yesterday was the final new student orientation of the summer at IU South Bend. Orientation is one of my major job duties and yesterday we had our largest ever. Over 450 domestic undergraduate students in attendance with an additional 40 international students and 125+ parents and guests. My job? Well, basically coordinating everything from A to Z in regards to orientation. Everything from recruiting and training student mentors, staff and faculty advisors, lunch, all the set-up logistics, rounding up speakers, printed materials, you name it. A lot of work, but always very rewarding. It's exciting to see all these students and parents on campus beginning their college careers.
But I'm still glad this one was over. Being so big, things had the potential to go wrong because I'd never worked with this large of a crowd before. But they didn't, everything went quite smoothly. Rain would have been a disaster but it held off until after we were done (I always tell people I do an anti-rain dance the night before).
Now, it's time to begin planning for next summer, but first I need to get ready to teach my class of 20 students in our freshman seminar. That too I look forward to each fall. Classes begin August 31, so I probably should get rolling on this.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Tired of Brett Favre
Okay, so he IS now going to play for the Vikings. Wow, this guy is full of drama. Does anyone really care to watch this guy? Will anyone really want to tune in on October 5 when the Vikings host the Packers or on November 1 when the Vikings play at Green Bay?
Yeah, I'll be interested, too.
Yeah, I'll be interested, too.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
A Couple Clint Eastwood Movies
Clint Eastwood directed two movies that were released last year. One was a huge hit and the other was a huge bomb. I caught up with both of them recently.
Gran Torino
This was the huge hit. Eastwood plays an aging racist who comes to befriend the Korean neighbors next door, in particular the son who tried to steal his car. Ultimately the movie plays out fairly well, but I wasn't overwhelmed. Part of the problem is with the Eastwood character. He seems a little over the top in his racist rants and there's a strange scene where him and a barber are teaching the Korean kid all about racist dialogue. I just didn't buy into the fact the Eastwood character was really like this, didn't seem very realistic (was this "Dirty Harry" in retirement?). So, while it does build up to a pretty good ending and there's an interesting priest character, I just didn't like the movie as much as I thought I would.
Changeling
This was the huge bomb, and to me, the far better movie of the two. In fact, very, very good. It tells a true story that seems almost to "out there" to be true, but it is. I checked on a lot of the facts and Eastwood pretty much told it straight. It's set in 1920's Los Angeles where Angelina Jolie, a single mom, has a 7-year old son that goes missing. The cops aren't too eager to help find him, but suddenly do . . .only Jolie insists who they found is not her son (he's not). How the cops respond to her is more of the story that I won't divulge. Suffice it to say that women questioning the cops in 1920's Los Angeles was not looked on too favorably.
While that part of the story I knew going in, there was a subplot that I was not expecting, and it plays a critical role in the movie. There is another villain that enters the story that may or may not be part of the whole mystery of what happened to Jolie's son. It's another true story that seems too far-fetched (and horrifying) to be true, but it is.
I highly recommend this movie, but parents be forewarned. Do not under any circumstances let your kids watch this. There are a couple scenes that to me were downright horrifying. At one point towards the end, I almost stopped watching it, and I don't usually have that strong of a reaction. But being the father of a 7-year old son, you'll know why when you see it. Yes, the movie is very well made, and not explicit, but what is implied is more than enough.
Gran Torino
This was the huge hit. Eastwood plays an aging racist who comes to befriend the Korean neighbors next door, in particular the son who tried to steal his car. Ultimately the movie plays out fairly well, but I wasn't overwhelmed. Part of the problem is with the Eastwood character. He seems a little over the top in his racist rants and there's a strange scene where him and a barber are teaching the Korean kid all about racist dialogue. I just didn't buy into the fact the Eastwood character was really like this, didn't seem very realistic (was this "Dirty Harry" in retirement?). So, while it does build up to a pretty good ending and there's an interesting priest character, I just didn't like the movie as much as I thought I would.
Changeling
This was the huge bomb, and to me, the far better movie of the two. In fact, very, very good. It tells a true story that seems almost to "out there" to be true, but it is. I checked on a lot of the facts and Eastwood pretty much told it straight. It's set in 1920's Los Angeles where Angelina Jolie, a single mom, has a 7-year old son that goes missing. The cops aren't too eager to help find him, but suddenly do . . .only Jolie insists who they found is not her son (he's not). How the cops respond to her is more of the story that I won't divulge. Suffice it to say that women questioning the cops in 1920's Los Angeles was not looked on too favorably.
While that part of the story I knew going in, there was a subplot that I was not expecting, and it plays a critical role in the movie. There is another villain that enters the story that may or may not be part of the whole mystery of what happened to Jolie's son. It's another true story that seems too far-fetched (and horrifying) to be true, but it is.
I highly recommend this movie, but parents be forewarned. Do not under any circumstances let your kids watch this. There are a couple scenes that to me were downright horrifying. At one point towards the end, I almost stopped watching it, and I don't usually have that strong of a reaction. But being the father of a 7-year old son, you'll know why when you see it. Yes, the movie is very well made, and not explicit, but what is implied is more than enough.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Changing Names
Radio Shack has recently decided to change it's name to "The Shack." Their rationale was that everyone already refers to the store by that nickname. In talking with my nephew that used to work there, he said only internally was it ever referred to that way. Hmm, we'll see how that all works out.
Recently, Circuit City changed it's name to "The City." They went bankrupt before all their signs could be updated.
Kentucky Fried Chicked has survived the change to KFC, as has Federal Express to FedEX. However, will anyone truly refer to that big building in Chicago as the "Willis Tower?"
Another strange one is the cable Science Fiction Network changing to "Sy Fy." Yeah, that helps promote literacy in our nation.
Recently, Circuit City changed it's name to "The City." They went bankrupt before all their signs could be updated.
Kentucky Fried Chicked has survived the change to KFC, as has Federal Express to FedEX. However, will anyone truly refer to that big building in Chicago as the "Willis Tower?"
Another strange one is the cable Science Fiction Network changing to "Sy Fy." Yeah, that helps promote literacy in our nation.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Anna and the Underdog
Our 10-year old daughter Anna is a social butterfly. Nothing makes her happier than to have other kids around to play with. When we go to a motel, after about 5 minutes in the pool, she knows everyone's name.
But there's a deeper part to her that really makes me proud. Anna also is very inclusive. She wants every kid to have a good time and makes sure that happens. Anna herself is a little quirky and a little odd, so maybe that's why she doesn't see anyone else as being quirky or odd. She just wants them to have fun. Recently we were at a playground and one girl was crying because another girl had evidently hit her. She was over with her mom and wasn't going to play anymore. Anna went over to her and before you know it, both of them were running around having a great time. I've seen her sit with special needs' kids and talk to them like she would anyone else, seemingly oblivious to the fact they were different. She has a heart for the underdog. Those that might get left out, she makes sure they get put in.
On Sunday, our pastor spoke on III John. One of the verses he highlighted was verse four, which reads, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." Someday, I imagine Anna could give us a run for our money on that one and make us wonder what we did wrong. But for now, nothing makes this father more proud than to see his daughter practicing the golden rule to its fullest.
But there's a deeper part to her that really makes me proud. Anna also is very inclusive. She wants every kid to have a good time and makes sure that happens. Anna herself is a little quirky and a little odd, so maybe that's why she doesn't see anyone else as being quirky or odd. She just wants them to have fun. Recently we were at a playground and one girl was crying because another girl had evidently hit her. She was over with her mom and wasn't going to play anymore. Anna went over to her and before you know it, both of them were running around having a great time. I've seen her sit with special needs' kids and talk to them like she would anyone else, seemingly oblivious to the fact they were different. She has a heart for the underdog. Those that might get left out, she makes sure they get put in.
On Sunday, our pastor spoke on III John. One of the verses he highlighted was verse four, which reads, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." Someday, I imagine Anna could give us a run for our money on that one and make us wonder what we did wrong. But for now, nothing makes this father more proud than to see his daughter practicing the golden rule to its fullest.
Saturday, August 08, 2009
World Pulse Fest 2009
Spent all day today at the World Pulse Fest here in South Bend. This is the annual FREE Christian music festival that just gets bigger and bigger. I believe the crowd estimates today were about 50,000. It rained pretty hard in the morning then got really hot in the afternoon. For the first time, I borrowed a canopy and took it along, which really helped.
As we always do, we hosted a "pre-Pulse party" at our church for some visiting churches from Michigan and Ohio. The Ohio church group were brought over by my nephews Jonathon and Benjamin (sporting his recently shaved head, a contrast to Jonathan's ample hair supply). Dorene and I stayed up until about 1:30 a.m. playing games with the Ohio group. Played some game where you basically beat the crap out of someone with a rolled up magazine as you try to guess what cartoon character they are.
As for the music this year, things started off with the Robbie Seay Band, who provided a painfully bland set of unmemorable music. They were followed by Aiyesha Woods, a talented voice, but not much to get excited over. I dozed off a bit during her set, catching up on the lack of sleep the previous night. But I knew good things were to come, and they did.
Next up was Hawk Nelson, a Canadian group that has really hit it big in the last few years. They are a very energetic group. Not real deep on the lyrical content, but a very fun group to see live. In fact, the lead singer said, "I'm not good at speaking, I'm better at using music to speak." A lot of singers should take that advice because nothing's worse than trying to hear someone be profound when they have no public speaking skills. I like this group and had seen them once before and really enjoyed them. They are very popular with youth today.
It was the next group that I looked most forward to seeing. I had heard that David Crowder Band was a very good live act, and wow, that was certainly an accurate assessment. This is one talented guy and probably one of the most unique personalities in Christian music today. He is a very gifted writer and his concert went against my expectations. I mean, he has kind of a strange look and with his deep lyrics, I was expecting an introspective concert with a lot of deep insights. Not at all. This guy is FUNNY, and in a very offbeat way. Kinda hard to describe. For example, at one point he gets out his keyboard guitar, and deadpans, "Behold, the keytar." He keeps playing it for the next song because, "I can feel the keytar, are you feeling it?" Very offbeat sense of humor, but I just loved it.
There were no deep insights (he just let the music do the talking). Some of the banter back and forth with his bandmates was really funny. Crowder has a unique look and voice. You think he'd be pretty calm on stage, but then he's off jumping up and down with the other guitarist. I love this guy! If you ever get a chance to see him in concert, please do.
You know what else he does? He has fun on stage. There is a joy in his performance that to me is missing with a lot of Christian performers, particularly in the worship genre. There seems to be this notion that you can't just have a concert and certainly can't have fun at it, but that you have to provide a "worship" experience, otherwise it's not legit or something. What makes one concert worshipful and others, like Crowder, less worshipful? He's easily one of the best songwriters and performers out there right now, but he doesn't take himself seriously, and didn't force us to have a "worship" moment all the time (you know the drill: stand up, raise your hands, close your eyes, go accapella on the last run-through, look upward, and be careful not to smile too much, otherwise it might look like you are enjoying yourself).
Mr. Crowder, you just made one somewhat marginal fan a HUGE fan today.
There was another act to close out the day. The Pulse Fest has a way of having this great act followed by a mediocre one that is a huge letdown. A couple years ago, Kutless had an awesome set and were followed by Michael W. Smith. Last year Toby Mac's adrenaline rush of a performance was followed by Casting Crowns (who I'm sure provide many "worship" moments). In both cases, we skipped out. Today, after the awesome David Crowder performance, he was followed by Jeremy Camp. Yep, we skipped that one, too.
As we always do, we hosted a "pre-Pulse party" at our church for some visiting churches from Michigan and Ohio. The Ohio church group were brought over by my nephews Jonathon and Benjamin (sporting his recently shaved head, a contrast to Jonathan's ample hair supply). Dorene and I stayed up until about 1:30 a.m. playing games with the Ohio group. Played some game where you basically beat the crap out of someone with a rolled up magazine as you try to guess what cartoon character they are.
As for the music this year, things started off with the Robbie Seay Band, who provided a painfully bland set of unmemorable music. They were followed by Aiyesha Woods, a talented voice, but not much to get excited over. I dozed off a bit during her set, catching up on the lack of sleep the previous night. But I knew good things were to come, and they did.
Next up was Hawk Nelson, a Canadian group that has really hit it big in the last few years. They are a very energetic group. Not real deep on the lyrical content, but a very fun group to see live. In fact, the lead singer said, "I'm not good at speaking, I'm better at using music to speak." A lot of singers should take that advice because nothing's worse than trying to hear someone be profound when they have no public speaking skills. I like this group and had seen them once before and really enjoyed them. They are very popular with youth today.
It was the next group that I looked most forward to seeing. I had heard that David Crowder Band was a very good live act, and wow, that was certainly an accurate assessment. This is one talented guy and probably one of the most unique personalities in Christian music today. He is a very gifted writer and his concert went against my expectations. I mean, he has kind of a strange look and with his deep lyrics, I was expecting an introspective concert with a lot of deep insights. Not at all. This guy is FUNNY, and in a very offbeat way. Kinda hard to describe. For example, at one point he gets out his keyboard guitar, and deadpans, "Behold, the keytar." He keeps playing it for the next song because, "I can feel the keytar, are you feeling it?" Very offbeat sense of humor, but I just loved it.
There were no deep insights (he just let the music do the talking). Some of the banter back and forth with his bandmates was really funny. Crowder has a unique look and voice. You think he'd be pretty calm on stage, but then he's off jumping up and down with the other guitarist. I love this guy! If you ever get a chance to see him in concert, please do.
You know what else he does? He has fun on stage. There is a joy in his performance that to me is missing with a lot of Christian performers, particularly in the worship genre. There seems to be this notion that you can't just have a concert and certainly can't have fun at it, but that you have to provide a "worship" experience, otherwise it's not legit or something. What makes one concert worshipful and others, like Crowder, less worshipful? He's easily one of the best songwriters and performers out there right now, but he doesn't take himself seriously, and didn't force us to have a "worship" moment all the time (you know the drill: stand up, raise your hands, close your eyes, go accapella on the last run-through, look upward, and be careful not to smile too much, otherwise it might look like you are enjoying yourself).
Mr. Crowder, you just made one somewhat marginal fan a HUGE fan today.
There was another act to close out the day. The Pulse Fest has a way of having this great act followed by a mediocre one that is a huge letdown. A couple years ago, Kutless had an awesome set and were followed by Michael W. Smith. Last year Toby Mac's adrenaline rush of a performance was followed by Casting Crowns (who I'm sure provide many "worship" moments). In both cases, we skipped out. Today, after the awesome David Crowder performance, he was followed by Jeremy Camp. Yep, we skipped that one, too.
Friday, August 07, 2009
The Films of John Hughes
John Hughes died yesterday at the age of 59. The last film he directed was "Curly Sue" in 1991. Hmm, no, I didn't see that one either. Before that, his most recent movies had been "Uncle Buck" and "Planes, Trains and Automobiles." Both of those were pretty good, but not what I would consider great movies.
Ah, but go back a few years, and he made some truly great films, one of which I would put on a very short list of my all-time favorite movies. His first movie was "Sixteen Candles," which served to launch my college-days crush on Molly Ringwald. Very funny movie, especially in the scenes featuring "the Donger." This one also featured a geeky Anthony Michael Hall. Hughes also directed "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." If I come across this movie on t.v., I'll always stick around for the scene in downtown Chicago where Matthew Broderick leads everyone in "Twist and Shout."
But it was his second movie that he'll be best remembered for and is one of my all-time favorites. This would be "The Breakfast Club." I had no desire to see this when it played in theatres and just sort of rented it as an afterthought one night. Wow, I was totally blown away and watched it repeatedly over the next few years. Kinda strange in that basically the whole movie is 5 teens just sitting around talking. Not something that you think would be all that interersting, but it was and holds up well (and, it also had Molly Ringwald).
I couldn't necessarily relate to the characters in the movie (all had messed up home lives and casually did drugs), but nonetheless, it was a movie that has stuck with me all these years. Plus, I would say that it has the all-time greatest theme song. The song was "Don't You Forget About Me" by Simple Minds. It plays over the opening and closing credits. If you are watching the movie for the first time, it's just another song. But after the movie is over, the following lyrics are very poignant:
"Will you recognize me, call my name or walk on by . . . ."
Ah, but go back a few years, and he made some truly great films, one of which I would put on a very short list of my all-time favorite movies. His first movie was "Sixteen Candles," which served to launch my college-days crush on Molly Ringwald. Very funny movie, especially in the scenes featuring "the Donger." This one also featured a geeky Anthony Michael Hall. Hughes also directed "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." If I come across this movie on t.v., I'll always stick around for the scene in downtown Chicago where Matthew Broderick leads everyone in "Twist and Shout."
But it was his second movie that he'll be best remembered for and is one of my all-time favorites. This would be "The Breakfast Club." I had no desire to see this when it played in theatres and just sort of rented it as an afterthought one night. Wow, I was totally blown away and watched it repeatedly over the next few years. Kinda strange in that basically the whole movie is 5 teens just sitting around talking. Not something that you think would be all that interersting, but it was and holds up well (and, it also had Molly Ringwald).
I couldn't necessarily relate to the characters in the movie (all had messed up home lives and casually did drugs), but nonetheless, it was a movie that has stuck with me all these years. Plus, I would say that it has the all-time greatest theme song. The song was "Don't You Forget About Me" by Simple Minds. It plays over the opening and closing credits. If you are watching the movie for the first time, it's just another song. But after the movie is over, the following lyrics are very poignant:
"Will you recognize me, call my name or walk on by . . . ."
Thursday, August 06, 2009
A Bit of a Water Leak
The sink in our bathroom is slightly clogged, so you can't leave the water running. We've known this for a while, but just haven't gone out to get that $5.00 jug of Drano to get it unclogged. Been too busy.
We're not too busy now.
On Tuesday, Cameron had a dental appointment. As Dorene was in the van getting ready to leave, she sent Cameron back in to wash his hands. He did. But he left the water running. At full blast. The appointment was at 1:00 p.m. They returned at 7:00 p.m. Figure it out.
Dorene called me at work and said we had a bit of a catastrophe. Water was all over the bathroom and it leaked down into the basement and thoroughly drenched our laundry room (cement floor, luckily) and also the carpeted area of the basement (not so lucky). We borrowed a pump and wet vac and did all we could, but the carpet especially was still soaked.
Dorene called the insurance company to see if they covered water-related damage caused by 7-year old kids and irresponsible adults. To our surprise, they did. Although, we still have to cover the deductible, which is substantially more than the $5.00 jug of Drano. So, we had the professional water-removers come out, because to not do so and risk mold down the road could then lead to thousands of dollars. So right now, we have blowers all over our house getting rid of the water, and it's working quite well.
By the way, before I went home after Dorene called me about the damage, I stopped at Menards and got that $5.00 jug of Drano and fixed the clogged sink.
We're not too busy now.
On Tuesday, Cameron had a dental appointment. As Dorene was in the van getting ready to leave, she sent Cameron back in to wash his hands. He did. But he left the water running. At full blast. The appointment was at 1:00 p.m. They returned at 7:00 p.m. Figure it out.
Dorene called me at work and said we had a bit of a catastrophe. Water was all over the bathroom and it leaked down into the basement and thoroughly drenched our laundry room (cement floor, luckily) and also the carpeted area of the basement (not so lucky). We borrowed a pump and wet vac and did all we could, but the carpet especially was still soaked.
Dorene called the insurance company to see if they covered water-related damage caused by 7-year old kids and irresponsible adults. To our surprise, they did. Although, we still have to cover the deductible, which is substantially more than the $5.00 jug of Drano. So, we had the professional water-removers come out, because to not do so and risk mold down the road could then lead to thousands of dollars. So right now, we have blowers all over our house getting rid of the water, and it's working quite well.
By the way, before I went home after Dorene called me about the damage, I stopped at Menards and got that $5.00 jug of Drano and fixed the clogged sink.
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Back from Campmeetin'
Last week, our family attended Wesleyan Family Camp at the church campground in Fairmount, Indiana. For trivia buffs, that's the hometown of two "Jims," Dean and Davis (as in movie star and cartoon cat creator). The campground is situated on the edge of town and is fairly large, and fairly rustic (no Camp Michindoh here). Earlier this summer, we purchased a pop-up camper, so that's what we stayed in for the week.
It had been over 25 years since I attended a church camp for an entire week. I remember the days of Canyon Meadows (family camp) and Quaker Meadows (teen camp) in California. But it had been a long time since I had taken a whole week off. The summer is always my busiest time at the university, because I coordinate orientation for incoming students. Family Camp always conflicted with orientation so what was the solution? Hmm, suddenly orientation didn't conflict this summer. Wonder how that happened.
It was a great week. We camped alongside our pastor's family (8 kids, yes, 8 kids). Our campsite is located right next to the playground, which makes it very convenient. You can eat in the dining hall and the food isn't all that bad, but we did all our own cooking anyway. Got one of those portable table-top propane grills so I did burgers, sausage, chops, etc. all week long.
There were services in the morning, but the afternoons were open and often there were activities available for the kids. Although for the most part, our kids enjoyed riding their bikes around camp and just hanging out with our pastor's family more than anything else.
Evenings services began at 7:00 p.m. and a couple evangelists from within the denomination took turns speaking at night (they both spoke during the morning sessions). One of the speakers was HC Wilson, who heads up Global Partners, the Wesleyan missions organization. He was very good and had a very downhome style, with lots of asides (which some may have interpreted as being all over the map, but I loved it). The other speaker was John Ott, from a mega-church in Roanoke, Virginia. He was also quite good, although sometimes was a little too dramatic and I found myself trying to Google some of the "true stories" he told to verify his facts (evangelistic hyperbole perhaps?).
After the evening services, we usually visited the snack shop (a really nice one) and hung around our campfire until midnight or later. One night we drove a short distance to Upland, Indiana and a visit to the famous Ivanhoe's ice cream parlor. Some good stuff, used to go there occasionally while attending Huntington College.
If all goes well, this will be our family vacation for many years to come. We all enjoyed the week very much and you truly "get away from it all" during this time. This was the first time ever where for an entire week, I literally did not read a single news headline, sports score, or knew of anything else happening in the world. It was nice.
It had been over 25 years since I attended a church camp for an entire week. I remember the days of Canyon Meadows (family camp) and Quaker Meadows (teen camp) in California. But it had been a long time since I had taken a whole week off. The summer is always my busiest time at the university, because I coordinate orientation for incoming students. Family Camp always conflicted with orientation so what was the solution? Hmm, suddenly orientation didn't conflict this summer. Wonder how that happened.
It was a great week. We camped alongside our pastor's family (8 kids, yes, 8 kids). Our campsite is located right next to the playground, which makes it very convenient. You can eat in the dining hall and the food isn't all that bad, but we did all our own cooking anyway. Got one of those portable table-top propane grills so I did burgers, sausage, chops, etc. all week long.
There were services in the morning, but the afternoons were open and often there were activities available for the kids. Although for the most part, our kids enjoyed riding their bikes around camp and just hanging out with our pastor's family more than anything else.
Evenings services began at 7:00 p.m. and a couple evangelists from within the denomination took turns speaking at night (they both spoke during the morning sessions). One of the speakers was HC Wilson, who heads up Global Partners, the Wesleyan missions organization. He was very good and had a very downhome style, with lots of asides (which some may have interpreted as being all over the map, but I loved it). The other speaker was John Ott, from a mega-church in Roanoke, Virginia. He was also quite good, although sometimes was a little too dramatic and I found myself trying to Google some of the "true stories" he told to verify his facts (evangelistic hyperbole perhaps?).
After the evening services, we usually visited the snack shop (a really nice one) and hung around our campfire until midnight or later. One night we drove a short distance to Upland, Indiana and a visit to the famous Ivanhoe's ice cream parlor. Some good stuff, used to go there occasionally while attending Huntington College.
If all goes well, this will be our family vacation for many years to come. We all enjoyed the week very much and you truly "get away from it all" during this time. This was the first time ever where for an entire week, I literally did not read a single news headline, sports score, or knew of anything else happening in the world. It was nice.
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Clinton to Obama: "You Owe Me One!"
Clinton did his job freeing the two journalists, but have you seen any of the pictures of him with Kim Jong II? I think Clinton is doing all he can to mask his contempt for the little pipsqueak and having to apologize for what happened. He knows Jong will take this and show how he helped bring America to it's knees. I'm sure Clinton could not wait to get out of there and not have to get his picture taken anymore with Jong.
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