Flavor of the Week! (August 5, 2009)

Welcome to the first Flavor of August! Since summer is winding down, I thought I would share some of my summer activities. I know that you may think I'm stupid for not doing this at the beginning of the summer, but you pretty much know that I'm not the smartest person anyway. That's why you tune in every week! Enjoy!

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Weekly Website Flavor:

Hulu

I know. I know. Most of you reading this know what Hulu is, but as I have found out, many people don't know exactly what you can do with it. Hulu is a website that shows TV shows online for free. It like a bigger version of NBC or ABC's video collection, and unlike Youtube, it features television shows legally. It even shows some movies for free (ranging from Primal Fear to the Pebble and the Penguin). Wanna see some of Season 1 of House or maybe even watch some 90's sitcoms? They're all here and all free and easy to watch. By the way, Newsradio (which is on Hulu) is in my opinion the best sitcom of the 90's - second only to Seinfeld. Yes, it was 10x funnier than Friends.

Don't believe me? Try it out here.

And to go to the Hulu homepage, click Hulu.com

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Weekly VidPic Flavor:

Watermelon Carving

I saw some of these things on one of my friend's blogs but can't remember who it was. (If it was you, let me know and I'll give you the credit). I had no idea that people did this. Its like carving a pumpkin into a jack-o-lantern but with a watermelon. Also, the finished products usually come out as works of art rather than grotesque images of faces and ogres and such. Enjoy some of the images below but to really have some fun do some Googling.


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Weekly Off-line Flavor:

Fishing

This past week I got to do something with Lindsey that I had not done in a long time... fishing in a pond. What a great way to spend an afternoon! We fished at one of her cousin's house. They had a little pond out back and we drove up to Jefferson to enjoy some relaxing times. We caught a few. We got our feet eaten up by ants. Later, we saw one of my fish get eaten by ants. Quite sad. Lindsey is the best fishing partner in the world. I look forward to doing it with her again. Even if we never catch another fish, I can't wait to go out by the lake and spend some time together. Love her. Always.

Flavor of the Week (July 29, 2009)

Welcome to the 3rd Flavor of the Week! Incidentally, this is the last Wednesday in July which means starting next week I will have a new banner and new flavor selection pics. Enjoy ice cream for the last time. Enjoy your last July Flavors!

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Weekly Website Flavor:

Sporcle

My brother showed me this one. This website is a very simple idea. Basically it gives you a categorical list and asks you to fill it in. These lists could be anything from "What are the top grossing movies of 2008?" to "Name all the current colors of crayola crayons." to "Name the countries with the biggest pig population." (China is number one, by the way) The website adds at least four or five trivial lists every day. You can even see how you match up with other people who have taken the quiz. See if you're smarter than the general public.

Visit Sporcle.com

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Weekly VidPic Flavor:

Playing For Change (Stand by Me)

Very neat video. From what I can tell, a group of people traveled around the world collecting video footage and music from people for nearly 5 years. They released a documentary about it last year called "Playing for Change" which has a double meaning since its a documentary that shows people playing music on the street and a video advocating for peace. This particular segment is collection of people from many different countries singing one of my favorite songs "Stand by Me." I encourage you to watch the whole thing. Its only about 5 minutes and check out other videos from this guy's channel.

Watch Playing For Change (Stand By Me)

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Weekly Off-line Flavor:

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Proceed with caution. This is a rough read. It is a thriller in the truest since. There were times when I was reading it and had to put the book down because of what the author wrote. The story is about a reporter who returns to her home town in order to cover the murder of two pre-teen girls. As you read, you discover the very dark and violent history of her small town past. The book (despite the grotesque scenes) kept me coming back because after the murder scenes, I had to know who would do such a thing to these girls. You end up caring for people even though they are indeed fictional characters. Do not read it if you do not feel like you could handle it.

Flavor of the Week (July 22, 2009)

Welcome to the second weekly event known as Bill's Flavors of the Week! Got some good stuff your you this week. From religious building blocks to the basic building blocks of the food pyramid. Scroll down and get you some flavor!


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Weekly Website Flavor:

The Brick Testament

Working in the Religious Studies Department at school provides many stories - some amazing, some funny, and some just plain weird (such as the lady who called us to investigate an image she found in her potato chip). Thus, one day we were sent this little gem. Some guy apparently one day decided to portray the majority of the Bible through Lego blocks. Its all in good fun (I think) but some of it can be a little offensive. Check out the story of Adam and Eve or the book of Revelation. Its a great way to laugh. I wouldn't look for spiritual lessons however - just some fun.

Click here to see The Brick Testament

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Weekly VidPic Flavor:

Local Television Commercial

Sometimes I watch TV and think, "Who makes these and says 'Yeah thats a good ad." I've collected a few of my favorites for you to enjoy. I hope they didnt pay much for these. I'm pretty sure my 10 year old cousin could have made better ones. Enjoy.

Click:

• Eagle Auto Insurance
• Vern Fonk Insurance
• Norton Furniture
• ETZ Video

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Weekly Off-Line Flavor:

Pasta Roni

This stuff is my favorite. They are delicious and are pretty much all I have eaten in the past few years. Filling. Cheap (10 for $10). Very good tasting. I always keep like six in my pantry at a time. If you've never had one, I strongly recommend the Shells and White Cheddar, the Garlic and Olive Oil, or the Fettuccine Alfredo. Keep them in your dorm or apartment. I think they are technically supposed to be side dishes, but make a quick, delicious meal. You are missing out.

Zoinks!

I just saw that Cartoon Network has announced that later this year they will be releasing a new Scooby-Doo series. As someone who watched Scooby when I was little, I decided to do a little research on the matter. What I found was that there have been 17 completely separate Scooby-Doo series (including this new one) between 1969 and 2009. Also, there have been 20 animated movies, 3 live action movies (one coming out this year to promote the new series and explain how everyone met), 12 video games (not including the ones online or the board games), and two plays written for the stage and performed on world tours.

As corny as the show is and despite the fact that most episodes that I remember only had one suspect with the same motive as every villian in the history of the show (Like! Zoinks! Mr. Jones was dressing as the Miner Forty-Niner to scare the townspeople away from the oil he found in the gold mine!), I really cant knock it. Its really impressive to have a show survive 40 years and still captivate audiences. I tried to find out how much the franchise has grossed but could not find a definite figure. Im sure its made some people a very comfortable life. I have compiled a list below of the series and spin-offs and the years that they ran. I'm sure we've all seen at least one episode from most of these series growing up.

• Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! (1969-1970) [The Original]
• The New Scooby-Doo Movies (1972-1973) [These are the episodes with the Harlem Globe Trotters, Don Knotts, etc]
• The Scooby-Doo Show (1976-1978)
• The Scooby-Doo/Dynamutt Hour (1976)
• The Scooby-Doo/Dynamutt Show (1976-1977)
• Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics (1977-1978)
• Scooby's All-Stars (1978-1979)
• Scooby Doo and Scrappy Doo (1979-1982)
• The Richie Rich/Scooby Doo Show (1980-1982)
• The Scooby Doo/Scrappy Doo/Puppy Hour (1982-1983)
• The All-New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show (1983-1984)
• The New Scooby Doo Mysteries (1984-1985)
• The 13 Ghost of Scooby Doo (1985) [This was the one where the gang hunted ghost rather than solve mysteries. It stared Vincent Price who did the talking part at the end of Michael Jackson's song "Thriller"]
• A Pup Named Scooby Doo (1988-1991) [Stared the gang as children]
• Whats New, Scooby Doo? (2002-2006) [Theme song sung by Simple Plan]
• Shaggy and Scooby-Doo Get a Clue! (2006-2008)
• Scooby-Doo - Mystery, Inc. (2009-)

Dont forget that this list is only the TV series and not the movies, games, plays, etc.

To be honest, I wanted to write this blog in order to talk about how ridiculous it was to be re-releasing such a corny show, but after looking at all this, I can't come to any other conclusion besides that these people know what they're doing. I'm sure tons of money will be made off of this new installment. Besides, from what I can tell, this new one seems to be much darker (demon possession, poltergeists, the fact that the people do not want the mysteries to be solved).

Pretty impressive from a mystery show with only one suspect per episode.

Flavor of the Week (July 15, 2009)

Welcome to the first ever Flavor of the Week! If you were up last night, you read that I was premiering this little gem today. You may ask, "Bill what wonderful flavors do you have for me today?" My response - "Scroll down and see."

Leave me some feedback. And enjoy!


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Weekly Website Flavor:

Broken Picture Telephone

I found this website maybe 3 weeks ago. I think its great. Its a simple concept whose motto is "The Game of Miscommunication". Remember playing Telephone when you were little? Picture playing that same game except with post-it notes and drawings. What happens is that you are given either a prompt or a drawing and depending on whichever you are given, you either draw the prompt or describe the drawing in words. After a day or so you will receive an email saying your session is complete. Hilarity will ensue due to the fact that NO ONE can draw on the computer. My favorite game that I participated in started off with the prompt "A musical scale" and ended with a drawing describes as "Vampire ice cube kills third victim." Check it out. Its a good time waster.

Click here to enjoy Broken Picture Telephone

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Weekly VidPic Flavor:

World Beard and Mustache Competition

Here are results of the recent world Beard and Mustache Competition. Sadly, the man who made his facial hair into a suspension bridge did not win this year. The last two pictures are second and first place finishers respectively.

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Weekly All Natural Flavor:

Water For Elephants by Sarah Gruen

Read this book. Now. So far this summer I've read five books and this is the one that constantly jumps into my mind. Its about a veterinarian who joins a failing circus by accident. It gets complicated as you dive deeper into the lies and backstories of truly distinct and life-like characters. As I read it, I laughed, I was enraged, I was shocked. This book is one of the best stories I have read in years. Its one of those you read and then want to tell people about it. I strongly recommend this to everyone. There are a few scenes that are a little hard to swallow though, so don't say I didn't warn you.

The Big Announcement...

So earlier today I alluded to an announcement about a feature that I will be adding to my blog. Starting tomorrow (at some point - could be morning, could be late at night) I will be posting a weekly thing I like to call "Flavor of the Week" every Wednesday.

What this will allow you - as a reader - to do is to see just what I do when I have some down time. My goal is to post 3 things every week:

1. A website that I frequent and want everyone else to enjoy.
2. Something consisting of pictures/video/etc
3. A real-life feature (book, movie, something else not online)

I hope you all enjoy this. These are things that I love and hope you will too. I'm happy to accept recommendations for sites since I may run out of them.

By the way, for a definition on the term "Flavor of the Week" you can see it here.

Been A While...

My deepest apologies.

It has been over a month since I've posted in this thing. I refuse to let Anne Crane of having the satisfaction of saying "I told you so" since she told me that I'll probably give up on this thing after a while. :-p

Anyway this summer has been a good one. I've taken up my former post at Sweet Mamas. Working there 4-5 nights a week which is good. I only work the cash register and give out cake. I'm also allowed to eat whatever I want as long as I'm on the clock. There are some stories. Perhaps I'll post some later this summer or tell you about them in person.

Since I'm working at Sweet Mamas, I've also taken up bike riding. I try to ride it every day but that doesn't always happen. I'll be taking my bike to school next year too so if anyone wants to ride around Columbia let me know.

I've read 5 books so far this summer. I think I'll save you from those reviews for now.

What I find to be worth posting is that I have officially began my process for candidacy for ordination this summer. What does that mean? you ask. It means I have begun the process to become an ordained minister. Its a lengthy process and I plan to let you know as much as I am allowed throughout it.

Besides all this, I've been able to see Lindsey almost every week which makes me happy. She came down for the 4th, I've gone up for a few weekends, our parents even met this summer! They came down with her one weekend and everything went great. I am really blessed to have Lindsey Bergwerff in my life.

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Anywhatever...

I'm sorry for not keeping you up-to-date. I have decided to add something to this blog that will make it more frequent. Starting tomorrow, I will be posting a weekly feature on this page. I will announce the details later on today. It will not take place of my blog but will be a weekly post (that is unless you do not enjoy it).

I hope everyone is doing well. I'll be moving back to Columbia August 1. Let me know when you head back up. I'm anxious to get up there and see everyone.

God bless.

Familiar Yet Not Expected

I woke up this morning in a place that I didnt think I would be living in this summer. I started off hoping that I would be in Lancaster, but when that didnt work out, I assumed that I would settle down in Columbia.

Well, you know what they say about assuming.

Today, I woke up in my old bed in my home town. Thats right. Since I couldnt find a job in Columbia (I applied to about 10 places) I have been forced to move back home for the summer.

I am not too excited about it. I have left Lindsey and all my other friends. I won't be able to go to BCM at 7:00pm on Tuesdays.* I also had to completely move out of my house in Columbia (bed and all) before I could leave.

I am not sure what this summer has in store. I know I am going to start candidcy and apply to Seminary. Im also told that I will be digging up plants and planting new ones. I also plan to keep up my reading. I should finish my second book of the summer today.

I am sorry that I was not able to properly say good bye. I know that some of you are finding out that I left by reading this. I did not find out that I had to leave until last Tuesday. I plan on making trips up on weekends.

I hope everyone is having a good summer.





*You are welcome for the plug, BCM.

Family Trip

Just got back from a family trip. We (my entire family plus Lindsey and my brother's wife) went to Atlanta mainly so that Wright may interview at a job and I may visit Emory to see if I like it for seminary. A very eventful trip I must say. Enjoy the two day account:


Friday:

We had gotten in Thursday night. My interview was at 10:30 and Wright's was at 10 on Friday morning so we got up and got some breakfast and walked around Emory before going to the respective interviews. Emory is gorgeous. Very Classic looking. I feel like it is a good fit for me. The meeting went very well. I basically just met with admissions to talk about their programs and such. The guy I met with went to high school with the guy that plays Dwight Schrute on the office. Instant conversation. Nice. I can apply in the Fall and will let you know about everything then. I got a lot of information at the meeting but there is a lot to tell, so if you really wanna know, ask me in person.

After the interview, we changed clothes and went to the Varsity for lunch. On the way there, I started experience extreme pain in my lower back. In a matter of minutes I could barely breath without it hurting so we had to rush me to the Emergency Room. We checked in there and gave them my information. Before getting called back, the pain started going away so I went to the bathroom. In there, I passed a kidney stone. The pain instantly went away so we just left the ER before we were called back.

The rest of the day we went to the Coke Museum. Very awesome. I strongly recommend it. I tried over 65 kinds of cokes from around the world. Saw a 4-D adventure and history of coke things like commercials, how its made and memorabilia. That night we went to a Braves game. Braves won. Fireworks show. Very cool. Anyway, it was a long day so we went home and went to bed.


Saturday:

Saturday we woke up and went to the Aquarium. Saw some beluga whales. Saw them poop. Very nasty. Saw some sea otters and electric eels. Saw a whale shark and a big sting ray. If you ever have a chance, go there. You won't be disappointed.

We shopped the rest of the day and then went to Stone Mountain. Wikipedia it if you dont know what it is. The laser show there was one of the coolest things I have seen in a while. It happens every night during the summer. I would say that this is the one thing I would recommend to absolutely everybody. Its cheap. Its not too long or too short and its very cool. Some people I know even got a little emotional during it.

We went home after that and watched SNL. Will Farrel hosted. Look up some skits. Funny stuff.

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Anyway, I am back now and still waiting on some things job related. The church did not work out. Maybe I will be at Marble Slab this summer. I hope.

Hope everyone is having a good start of summer. I'll be in Columbia so if you're ever in town, let me know.

On Waiting and Worrying

The end of my school year is three days away. I have not heard back from a certain job yet. They said that I should have hear back last week. My whole summer depends on if I get this job or not. It means I will have to move out of where I am living now. It means I'll have to start some major planning on my part. It even means that I will have to move five hours away from home.

But I have not heard anything.

And I'm not worried.

It's not that I am so confident that I will get this job. There is absolutely no guarantee. It's not that I am promised another job here in Columbia (though I am sure that I will be able to find something somewhere). I am not worried because I do not mind waiting. I will end up where I am supposed to be and do it gladly.

Every now and then I get accused of not caring - and for some instances that's true - but when it comes to things in the future that I cannot directly control, I do not see any point in worrying. I definitely care about the outcome... but if the outcome is not dependent upon me, then I do not worry. There is a tangible difference between not caring and not worrying.

I'll tell you a secret that most people don't know or have forgotten: Just because you are not worried about something, does not mean that its not important to you.

Of course I do worry sometimes. Most of the time it happens to me during and after an event or situation. Like "I'm worried that no one is listening to what I am saying." Or "I'm worried that no one enjoyed the skits at Gender Wars." But usually this will subside in a day or so.

Let me bring it back in before I start chasing a rabbit.

Yes. I am waiting. No. I am not worried.

In situations like this, Christ's words typically pop into my head. He says, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" (Luke 12:25)


So... I'll wait. Because I know that there is nothing to worry about.




"Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday." - Baz Luhrman

Band Names

You ever hear or think of a word or phrase that would be a good name for a band? No? Well, I do. I thought I would record them here when I discover them for everyone to comment on/enjoy/tell me they sound awful. Also, if you would like to contribute, go ahead. If I like them enough, I'll put your name by them.

Here you go:


Third Story Window - I picture them like a Matchbox 20 or even possibly a country crossover band

Red Planet Holiday - Maybe like a Snow Patrol or Hellogoodbye-esque band

Chain Linked Vigilante - Not really sure; sounds more like an album

Resonant Resident or Resident Resonant - not my favorite; also not which sounds better

Jesus Chrysler Super Car - Submitted by Andrew Norris

Oreo Speedwagon - Submitted by Andrew Norris

Wisteria Landing - Not sure what they would sound like. Pretty versatile sounding in my opinion.

Toxic Llama - This was the first band name that I really came up with. My sister reminded me of it yesterday. Thank you Catherine Ann.

Reeking Havoc - Submitted by Kelsey Lewis. She says its a "Grind-core" type band which Im not really sure what that means. Also, I would like to point out that the word "reeking" is used rather than "wreaking" which I think is pretty awesome.

Pioneers of the Nile - inspired by one of the losers of the Kentucky Derby.


I'll post more as I hear them. I know that I have more now but can't think of any right now.

Very cool update: A friend of mine has expressed interest in using one of these names as his own band's name. I'll let you know which one if he goes through with it.

Why I hopped on the bandwagon.

I like to write. A lot. Besides the therapuetic release it offers, I like thinking that maybe my thoughts (and the way I articulate them) might have an effect on someone. This is also why I like to speak in front of people.

I've attempted to write a few novels but never finished one on paper. In my head, they are awesome stories, but I found that when I started actually writing them down, I became overly obsessed with the characters and what happened to them. Maybe one day I'll actually finish one.

Anyway, back to this blog. I think (at least I hope) that this blog will allow me to do several things. I am planning as of now to post a wide spectrum of postings such things that I am doing, thinking about, or just find interesting.

Who knows? Maybe something I write here will have an effect on one of you reading it.

This, like myself, is a work in progress. Enjoy the ride.