I Kinda Like John Edwards

I always tell my Democrat colleagues that had their ticket been reversed in 2004, then they'd be in the White House right now. But with Kerry as the nominee, that sealed it for Bush.

I actually kinda like John Edwards and think he has one of the better messages out there with his "Tale of Two Americas." He is trailing behind Clinton and Obama big time, but I think there's a chance he could pull a surprise in Iowa. Maybe not, he could get trounced, but I don't think he's done yet.

I also like hearing what Elizabeth Edwards has to say. She's not afraid to put it out there and say things everyone's thinking but no one wants to say (maybe she should go on "The View"). She said something recently that I told my colleagues after the 2006 election bloodbath. I told everyone that the only thing that could reenergize the Republicans is a Hillary Clinton ticket. She has been demonized over the years, and with her as the nominee, that could actually give hope to Republicans.

I don't think she's as bad as everyone makes her out to be, but I'm not sure I want her to be president either. But Elizabeth said, “I don't know where it comes from. I don't begin to understand it. But you can't pretend it doesn't exist, and it will energize the Republican base."

Could be.

Bathroom Techniques

Another Republican lawmaker biting the dust. Yet another so-called man of upstanding virtue caught in the act. I don't have any sympathy for Larry Craig. You get caught doing what he was evidently doing in an airport bathroom, ya got it coming.

But I really had to laugh at one of his defenses. You see, he tapped the guy in the next stall with his foot, which was evidently a signal of, well, whatever. What was Craig's excuse? Honest to goodness, he said he had a "wide stance" when using the bathroom, which caused his foot to inadvertantly bump that of the police officer in the next stall.

A wide bathroom stance?!? I didn't realize there was such technique involved when using the facilities. Wow, you could come up with all kinds of football metaphors here with the stance and what he was wanting to accomplish. But, we'd better just stop now . . .

Being Chastised by the Eye Doctor

For the last few days, my left eye has been really red. Not really painful, but just very red and irritated. I've had this before but have always chalked it up to my contact lens causing it. So, I kept putting in my lenses anyway, figuring it would clear up.

Well, yesterday afternoon, the pain started to get a little intense, and any sunlight at all was literally blinding me. So, I called the eye doctor to see if I could get in. Luckily, there was an opening. So I drove over, which I had no business doing. I had to pull over about 4 times because I was at the point I was sqiniting so bad I could barely see out of just one eye. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Well, I finally got there and was subjected to the worst experience ever at an optometrist. For over an hour, he kept putting drops in my eyes and then looking at them through this extremely bright light. He'd pause, put in more drops, then back to the light. I was about to confess my links to terrorism so Mr. Bauer would stop the torture, but finally he was done.

It just so happened Dorene was there for Cameron's annual exam. The doctor spoke to her and said that if I had kept putting in my lenses, I could have lost the eye. It turns out I have a severe cornea infection. It's a good thing Dorene was there because I could not drive home by any means. Dorene had to walk me to the car because I couldn't open my eyes.

Added to the torture was the fact we had to take my car, which has no air conditioning and it was over 90 degrees on this day (she drove in our van, but we left it there because the brakes are going out). Yikes, what else could happen? The sunlight was so bad that I had to throw a jacket over my head to block out all light, which made me look like a major dork to people driving by us. We finally got home and Dorene made me, per doctor's orders, put in eyedrops on the hour.

I don't think I'll need much persuading this time to seek out the doctor if my eye starts acting up again, because the experience yesterday with the drops and bright light was one I don't care to go through again.

The Dog Days of Michael Vick

I have nothing more to say, I just wanted to put in my own cheesy headline of the Michael Vick story.

Pulse Fest 2007

Today I spent all day at the World Pulse Festival, an annual Christian music festival held on the grounds of a contemporary Christian radio station in South Bend. The festival typically occurs on a Saturday when I work so I have not been able to attend for years. However, this year I didn't have to work so I was finally able to make a return trip.

The Festival has grown immensely from when I last attended. When I went about 10 years ago, the groups were The Imperials, Phillips, Craig & Dean, and Billy Crockett. Yeah, not too exciting. This year, the lineup was Kristal Myers, Superchic(k), Sanctus Real, Desperation Band, Kutless, Third Day, and Michael W. Smith. Yeah, they've "slightly" improved the lineup. Attendance has also skyrocketed. There had to be thousands there today and for good reason. The festival is free (parking costs, but that's it).

But this year there was an added bonus. My niece Paula and her husband Tom, and my nephew Benjamin came over from Ohio with their youth group to attend the festival. They came up on Friday night and stayed at our church as we hosted a "Pre-Pulse Festival" party along with a church from Michigan. That was a lot of fun and it was great to see my nephew and niece interacting with their youth (they are great leaders).

After serving everyone breakfast this morning, we headed out to the festival about 90 minutes before it was scheduled to begin. People had been camping out since about 2:00 a.m. so we knew we wouldn't get front row seats. That's okay, even being pretty far back you could still see well and there was a jumbotron screen which also helped. Typically this time of year it is very hot. But today, it was 78 degrees, which was absolutely perfect.

The first artist was Kristal Myers, who someone commented looks like Paris Hilton . . .and she does. Her music? Boring! Let's move on. Next group was Superchic(k) which consists of two sisters singing lead and their band. They weren't bad but I wasn't all that crazy about their music. So, the festival didn't really begin for me until the next group, Sanctus Real. I had just seen them earlier in the year in Fort Wayne. I enjoyed them then and enjoyed them again today.

I had never heard of the Desperation Band so I figured I'd go check out the merchandise tents during their set. But I stuck around anyway, and this is one of the great things about seeing a big lineup of bands which contain ones you've never heard of . . .you may discover one of those bands is actually quite good. That's how it was with Desperation Band, which is the worship band from New Life Church in Colorado Springs (Ted Haggard's former church). They started out with "I am Free," a song they had written and had been performing on their own, but it only became more widely known when the Newsboys included it on their newest CD. Desperation Band not only had a good sound, but they looked like they were having a lot of fun out there (something lots of bands don't seem to get). The set was extremely short, only about 4 songs. I'll be checking out their CD's now.

Next up was Kutless, and they were loud and crazy and full of energy. I'm not a huge fan of their music, but they are a very good live band and they were my favorite act of the day. Benjamin took most of his youth group closer to the stage so they could get some "moshing" going. He said it was moderately successful although some older folks with earplugs gave them some dirty looks (what they were doing that close to the stage anyway, I have no idea).

Third Day is a band I have always been continuously disappointed at when it comes to their CD's. A few good songs here and there but they never seem to let loose in the studio. Live, however, is a different story. They were doing some major rockin' and Mac Powell is a great lead singer. On tape, I think they can be pretty dull, but in person, they are probably one of the better bands out there.

Finishing out the day was Michael W. Smith. Basically, his set was pretty yawn-inducing, save for a couple songs here and there. It started raining and about half the crowd (including us) were headed to the exits during his set. I first saw Michael W. Smith in 1985 as the opening act for Petra. Needless to say, he was a far different live performer back then. His "Big Picture" tour of 1986 still, for me, ranks as the best Christian concert ever. Youth today can't believe it when I say one of the loudest, most rockin' and jammin' concerts I ever went to was a Michael W. Smith concert. Today, he's gone all profound and "worship moment" on us, so it's kind of impossible to imagine him in any other context than up there singing praise and worship songs.

It was a great day and Paula and Benjamin said their youth had a wonderful time. We hope to make this an annual tradition and have them back next year.

Raising Ebenezer

Last Sunday, we sang the classic hymn, "Come thou Fount (of every blessing)" during our morning worship. As we sang that one line, "Now I raise my Ebenezer . . ." I turned to Dorene and asked her what the heck that means. Wondered if anyone knew.

So, I checked it out and the answer was simpler than I thought. It's based on a passage in I Samuel when Samuel erected a rock commemorating a victorious battle in which the Israelites reclaimed the Ark of the Covenant over a battle with the Nazis, I mean, Philistines.

"Samuel took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer—"the stone of help"—for he said, "Up to this point the Lord has helped us!" —1 Samuel 7:12"

So, the next time we sing this song, I'll be more knowledgeable on the whole Ebenezer thing and know I'm not singing about a character from Charles Dickens. The last time I heard this song in church was during special music when this child from the 60's sang a rendition of it (okay, she was only 20, but dressed like a child of the 60's). Her rendition mixed the traditional hymn with U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." Yes, you read that right. I guess you had to be there, because it was pretty cool.

Witness to (yawn) History

Last night, I stayed up late to watch Barry Bonds break one of the biggest records in all of sports, that of all-time home runs. Since the game was in San Francisco, his big moment didn't come until 11:30 p.m. or so. It wasn't all that exciting. They love Barry in the bay area, which is good for him, because he certainly isn't loved anywhere else.

Almost 10 years ago, I remember watching Mark McGwire break the single-season home run record set by Roger Maris. That was really exciting to watch, as was that whole season as he and Sammy Sosa battled it out (although it's been tainted now with the revelations that both of them likely were steroid users). But on that night, when the Cardinals were home against the Cubs, it was truly a moment to remember when he smacked #62.

As for Bonds, it seems so obvious that he has used steroids. If you look at pictures of him from the late 90's and then now, he is so bulked up he almost looks like Hanz and Franz from Saturday Night Live. Plus, he's basically been a total jerk all his life, which media and players alike have atested to. So now that he breaks one of the biggest records in all of sports, it was impossible to get excited for him. Bob Costas commented on the "Today" show that if this were a criminal case, the circumstantial evidence would be so overwhelming that he would easily be convicted.

Bonds will likely retire after this year. The debate over his record will go on, but maybe it'll be short lived. This past weekend, Alex Rodriguez hit number 500. If he keeps up the pace (and he's only 32), he could approach Bonds in 7 - 8 years. If that happens, everyone will get very excited about it, because A-Rod is very well liked and has not had any inkling of scandal around him.

There is still something to get excited about in baseball this year. The Cubs are making a run again, and I have the perfectly scripted moment. The Cubs get to the World Series, and throwing out the first pitch in Chicago is none other than Steve Bartman, the fan who is blamed for their playoff loss in 2003. That would be really cool to watch.

Mamma Mia, Send Her Over!

Mia Farrow has offered to "exchange her freedom" and take the place of an ailing Darfur rebel leader to ensure safe passage out of a hospital. Don't you just love it when celebrities do this and sound so compassionate and willing to put their lives on the line (puke alert).

What I would just love to see is for the President of Sudan to say, "Okay, come on over." Hmm, wonder if she'd still be as eager?

My Luck with the Cops Runs Out

It's been a while since I've been stopped by the police. It's been a loooong while since I've ever gotten a ticket from being pulled over. I've gotten lots of warnings, but rarely actually get a ticket (insert obligatory Steve-gets-pulled-over joke here).

So, a few weeks ago, we are all headed to Meijer on a stretch of road where everyone does about 60 mph (see, I'm already going with the "everyone else does it" defense). Well, I was actually going 52 mph but there was a cop sitting in what was a sneaky speed trap. The speed limit goes from 40 to 30 to 40 real quick. Well, he got me in the 30 mph zone.

But, I figured I'd still be okay. I went with my usual admit-what-I-did-wrong defense and say that he had every right to stop me. But, I knew immediately this wasn't going to work. The cop as he walked up to me said, "Yeah, I was going to stop the car before you, but you came along and were going much faster." I knew right then that nothing was going to spare me from the ticket this time. He conceded that I was very nice and everything but still had to give me the ticket. Part of me wanted to cry out at the injustice of it all. Yes, those red mini-vans are a real nuisance and should be pulled over. The cop really had an attitude of "Ha, Gotcha!" and then lectured me on how much worse it could have been, yada, yada, yada. But, whatever, just give me the ticket.

When we finally got to Meijer, Cameron was very, very reserved. We asked him what was wrong but he wouldn't answer. Basically, as we ultimately found out, he basically thought daddy was going to get hauled off to jail and it really had him rattled. I mean, it really bugged him a lot. So much so that he reminds me every minute he's in the van now for me to slow down.

I do slow down now, because today I mailed the fine that I owed . . . . . . .$181.50!!!!

The Passing of Two Movie, uh, Legends

Both Ingmar Bergman and Michelangelo Antonini died yesterday. I already can picture next year's Oscar ceremony full of tributes to their films.

Pop quiz, hotshot, how many of their films have you seen? I have not seen a single film from either director, and I'm a big fan of foreign films. Bergman's films all seem kinda strange and I'm just not sure I'll have a Bergman film festival anytime soon.

Watching My Table (tennis) Manners

The South Bend Table Tennis Club has been on hiatus for the summer, so I've been making the drive over to Elkhart to play at their club. Much smaller, but you get a lot of play time in, so I enjoy going there.

In table tennis, you occasionally have those times where you hit the ball and it hits the top of the net and drops over for an easy point. Or, you hit the ball and it richochets off the side or back of the table, again for an easy point. When those instances occur, you are supposed to do one of two things: 1) say "I'm sorry" or 2) raise your hand to acknowledge you were lucky on that point. In other words, you're supposed to apologize for making those points.

So, when I make points in that fashion, I do the sportsmanlike thing and say I'm sorry or wave my hand. The thing is, I'M NOT SORRY! Hey, deal with it. Sometimes you get lucky breaks, sometimes not. Why should I apologize for scoring a point like that? If LeBron James gets a lucky bounce off the rim and makes a basket, does he stop and say, "You know, I'm really sorry about that, I hope next time it gets nothing but net. Please accept my apologies and I'll try better next time not to get so lucky." No way.

But, that's the way of table tennis. So, for all you players out there, if I ever play you and I score a point with a drop over the net or a bounce off the side, I'll follow protocol, but deep down, I ain't feelin' it!

Kentucky's State Drink

Dorene brought me back a couple 6-packs of a very popular drink from the hills of Kentucky. No, my relatives down there aren't running some distillery. It's the soft drink that folks down there are wild about . . . Ale-8.

I'm not completely sure why people love this drink so much, it's basically a form of ginger ale, but with a lot of sugar and caffeine. Basically a turbo version of Vernors. It tastes okay, but I'm not necessarily wild about it. But anywhere you go in Kentucky, especially around where it's produced, it's everywhere. I remember going out for breakfast one morning and literally half the restaurant had an Ale-8 on their table instead of (or in addition to) coffee or juice. Go to any gathering, and there are cases of the stuff.

If you do drink it, make sure you get it in the bottles, it does taste better, but I'm not sure why. Pop in general tastes better in bottles (the best is still Coca-Cola classic in the little bottles). For the best cold bottled pop ever, go to a little dumpy market called Jernagins in Pixley, California. Growing up, that was always a treat to stop by there. It was very, very cold, not quite iced over when you opened it, but just right. I'm sure the store is long closed by now, and pop is pretty much in cans now, but on a hot summer day, Jernagins was the place to be.

"I Shoulda Been a Teacha"

This time of year I always ask myself, "Why didn't I go into teaching." Dorene is down in Kentucky until next Tuesday with the kids, attending the annual Simpson reunion on the shores of Lake Cumberland (this family loves getting together, and the times I've been able to attend the reunion really is a lot of fun, they do it every year).

But, I'm not a teacher so I don't get my summers off. In fact, summer is my busiest time as I coordinate the new student orientation programs for IU South Bend. Since five times in the summer I'm responsible for about 400-500 students, parents and guests at each orientation, I can't exactly be out of the office much. I usually get a few days here and there but that's about it. But that's okay, I'm really glad Dorene is able to have the extra time in the summer with the kids, that is a real perk.

Oh yeah, I forgot. The reason I didn't go into teaching? You have to teach . . . .kids . . . .every day. I'll stick with my day job.

Anna at Church Camp

For the first time, Anna got to spend a week at church camp. She attended Junior Bible Camp at the Wesleyan Campground in Fairmount, Indiana. Dorene was there the whole week working in the kitchen, occasionally "spying" on Anna and the other kids from our church that went, but otherwise leaving her alone.

Anna had a great time. She said her favorite part was the chapel speaker. She has a cassette from the speaker that she has been playing non-stop since she got back. That was kind of nice to hear that with all the activities going on, she liked the chapel services the best.

Towards the end of the week, there was the big altar call service where emotions ran high (a church camp staple). Practically the whole camp went forward and tears were flowing. Dorene was there and said that as all this was going on, Anna and another camper were just sitting in the back, passing notes back and forth, basically oblivious to what was going on. The next day, all the kids went forward to gather aroound the speaker and sing a farewell song. Again, Anna just sat in the back, oblivious to all the emotion. Dorene finally went and got her and Anna went forward but asked "Where are we going . . .and what for?"

I remember attending church camp and how during the latter part of the week you'd have these services where it seemed everyone was crying and there was this emotional high. I too would have been just like my daughter, just sitting in the back waiting for all this to pass (and of course knowing that as soon as camp was over, a lot of what happened during those intense emotional times would all be forgotten).

A Busy Sunday

Yesterday began at about 8:00 a.m. and ended at about 1:00 a.m. this morning.

It was a typical Sunday at church. But afterwards, we had a church board meeting, which was the first for Dorene and I after being recently elected to the board. Aside from voting out the pastor, it was uneventful. Okay, not really. We actually seemed to accomplish quite a bit in a short amount of time (as opposed to many meetings I've been a part of where you accomplish a little in a long time). We have a good group of board members and we both look forward to serving.

We scrambled home in time to let the dogs out and then came back to town. We went to a church across the street for a presentation of "Godspell," which was put on by none other than Huntington University (it still sounds weird to call it "university"). They did a great job. We took five of our youth and they all enjoyed it too.

"Godspell" has been around a long time, but it's an interchangeable production. If you've seen it before, this version may be a little different. Songs are mostly the same, but how they are presented can differ. For example, there are more modern day references to things like Dr. Phil and the cover art is lifted from American Idol. All the cast members (except for one that I found annoying) did a superb job. It's still touring this summer and I highly recommend it. The only downside is that I'm really beginning to feel old as I realized that it's conceivable cast members could be children of classmates I attended college with.

After the musical, we went back to our church and had pizza with the youth and talked about the musical and how it did (or didn't) stick to scripture. In actuality, it is pretty straight forward with scripture, just the presentation is unique.

We got home and it was time for Dorene and Anna to pack up. They headed out this morning for junior Bible camp in Fairmount, Indiana. They'll be there until Friday morning. Dorene is working in the kitchen all week. Cameron is spending today and tomorrow and Grandma and Grandpa Simpson's house. On Wednesday e'll be at our pastor's house during the day, then in the evening, I'll take him to Fort Wayne to be at Grandma and Grandpa Dennie's house. So, the little tyke is getting the tour this week.

Catching Up with Rocky, 007, and John McLane

Seen a few movies lately featuring characters in long-running movie series:

Live Free or Die Hard
Also known as Die Hard 4. I liked this movie, it was a lot of fun, exactly what a summer movie is supposed to be. Bruce Willis is very good at this character and it didn't disappoint. To appeal to a younger audience, they added a young sidekick, who actually turned out to be very good. A computer geek, but not whiny or too smart aleck. He actually added a lot to the movie. Lots of chases, lots of explosions, lots of times when maybe things were not terribly realistic. But, so what, I enjoyed every minute of it.

Rocky Balboa
Also known as Rocky 6. The last Rocky was not very good at all, and that's one reason Stallone gave for making this one. This really evoked the memory of the first one in style and tone. This is very much for fans of the series, Stallone isn't trying to win new converts, but focusing on those that, especially, liked the first one in the series. You have to really think back to that first movie to know who Little Marie and Spider Rico are, who have major (Little Marie) and minor (Spider) roles in this one.

Yes, there's a fight at the end, and yes, there's a training montage, but what would a Rocky movie be without those. But I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this one. Stallone closes the series on a very high note. For die hard fans, watch the closing credits and see if you don't say to yourself, "Yeah, I'd like to do that, too." Next up for Stallone is "John Rambo," due in 2008. In this one, he goes to Burma to rescue some Christian aid workers. That's probably a better career move than in Rambo III, when he went to Afghanistan to fight with (not against) the Taliban.

Casino Royale
Also known as the 27th James Bond movie (or something like that). In this one, the series is completely rebooted. You are basically supposed to wipe out all memories of the Bond movies that came before (kinda like what they did with "Batman Begins"). This tells the origin of Bond, and to be quite honest, I wasn't too intrigued. Daniel Craig did okay as Bond, but the movie itself I found lacking. There was a bizarre chase scene near the beginning where the bad guy is jumping onto buildings and off things and through things, using Matrix and Jackie Chan moves. really odd. Also, not sure why they kept Judi Dench as "M," since she's a direct link to the most recent Pierce Brosnan Bonds.

I understand what they were trying to do, and sometimes the movie was interesting as you found out the origins of different Bond things (his favorite drink, set of wheels, etc.). But overall, I just didn't care for it all that much.

"Greeeeeen Acres is the Place to Be"

Tell me a few years ago I'd be living in the country and lovin' it, I'd be telling you "no way, no how." But here I am with my family in a little house in the country with an acre in our back yard, a dairy farm on one side and a hay barn across the street.

We have all just really latched on to country life. This is going to be such a great place to raise our kids. Things have just really slowed down for us. We don't run around town much anymore, because we're 20-25 minutes from town. We spend a lot of time just hanging around and reading, playing with the kids and dogs, and just enjoying the quiet. We have a satellite dish (mainly to get the local channels) but we spend surprisingly little amount of time watching t.v. We just simply enjoy our house and certainly much more family time.

Anna and Cameron haven't even mentioned once about going back to our old house. They love it here too. Dorene and I drove by our old house last night and didn't feel one iota of regret for not being there anymore. We are both so glad we made the move.

Anna Rides a Bike

Some kids have fears . . .and other kids have FEARS! For Anna, learning to ride a bike was just one of those things she could not get in her head to do. She was still riding her bike with training wheels. It didn't really seem to bug her that other kids a couple years younger were already riding around the neighborhood. Well, it didn't use to at least.

Finally, Sunday afternoon, she seemed ready to conquer this fear. Needless to say, it took a while. Many false starts, many times Anna throwing the bike down and saying "Dumb bike, I hate this bike." But she stuck with it, which she doesn't always do. Finally, she began to get it. She'd ride a little bit on her own (not always realizing it, she thought I was still holding on). Then, we all took a break. I whispered to Anna, "Let's sneak out and surprise mommy." This did it. She hopped on, I pushed, let go, and off she went. I had let Dorene know what we were up to so she didn't miss out.

Anna had kept bugging us about a new bike. We told her absolutely no way until she learned to ride her current bike, which indeed was too small. We kept our promise, and shortly after learning to ride, we headed off to Meijer and got her new bike. I told her I'd be ticked off if on Father's Day I had to go spend money on a bike (hey, sometimes the reverse psychology thing does indeed work).

Yeah, this dad was jumping up and down over this little daddy/daughter moment.

Father's Day

This past Sunday was nothing too eventful for Father's Day at our church. We had our District Superintendent as our special speaker. All the dads in attendance got a pie (I secured my favorite, which is apple).

I think back to Father's day services in California growing up. My dad was not all touchy-feely when it came to sermons on this day. I recall this was the day when he really gave forceful sermons on what it meant to be a father and to raise your kids in the Lord. He would say that it didn't matter anything else you did, you were a failure if your kids were brought up not knowing the Lord. To the Christian fathers, he particularly didn't let off the hook, basically telling them to get off their (booty) and be the leaders they are supposed to be.

I bet you that very, very few sermons this past Sunday were that forceful. I just don't think that's the way it's probably done anymore. Can't get too forceful, because you may have visitors and you don't want to offend anyone. I'm sure most services had their cutesy father moments and that was that (hey, it's basically what we did).

Spurs Win (yeah, whatever)

So the Spurs are champs again of the NBA. There's really nothing to dislike about the Spurs, so more power to 'em. But this year will forever be a "What if?" year for Phoenix Suns fans like myself. Those suspensions of Stoudamire and Biaw prior to Game 5 were devastating. I know the NBA has to remain tough on players that leave the bench, but I guess it didn't seem like what they did was all that bad, especially when they are not known at all for being aggressive. I'm not one to say a team lost because of the refs, but this year, the Suns may have indeed lost because of it.

Once again, it's wait until next year for the Suns. Meanwhile, in a few months I'll be awaiting the start of another promising Arizona Cardinals season that will begin with a thud and go downhill from there.