Your Life?

HT: Mark Jaffrey


Technorati tags: cartoon | humor

Wine and Guitars

I just read this on Dr. Vinos' wine blog:

Randy, a site reader from Colorado, sent in this photo of him from his vacation in Sonoma. He writes: "Here’s one of my highlights; I got to play one of only 100 $12,000 60th Anniversary Fender guitars that comes with six $1000 bottles of very rare wine. The guitar’s wood is actually dipped into the wine to make the color. It was beautiful!"

By the way, in case you missed yesterday's post on Anthony Bourdain's smackdown... well, the smack keeps coming!


Technorati tags: Fender | guitars | wine

Boudain SMACKDOWN!

I love some of the shows on the Food Network. Other stuff... not so much. Alton, Emeril, Bobby, Paula, and Giada - yes. Rachel, Sandra, and the rest... not so much.

I just read a blog post by Anthony Bourdain - you've seen him on his show on the Travel Channel (if you haven't, you are missing an experience).

Check out what Anthony has to say:

I actually WATCH Food Network now and again, more often than not drawn in by the progressive horrors on screen. I find myself riveted by its awfulness, like watching a multi-car accident in slow motion. Mesmerized at the ascent of the Ready-Made bobblehead personalities, and the not-so-subtle shunting aside of the Old School chefs, I find myself de-constructing the not-terrible shows, imagining behind the scenes struggles and frustrations, and obsessing unhealthily on the Truly Awful ones. Screaming out loud at Sandra Lee in disbelief as she massacres another dish, then sits grinning, her face stretched into a terrifying rictus of faux cheer for the final triumphant presentation. I mourn for Mario..and Alton…Bobby and yes–even Emeril, nobly holding the fort while the TV empire he helped build crumbles like undercooked Bundt cake into a goo of Cheez Wiz around him.

You can read the full article HERE (read it all... it is classic Bourdain). Also, don't miss some of
the reactions and responses on Dr. Vino's blog, HERE.

By the way you here are the non-Food-Network sites of my favorite Food Network chefs: Alton, Emeril, Bobby, Paula, and Giada.

(HT: Ragamuffin Soul)


Technorati tags: Bourdain | chefs | food

Monday Facts...

Last week, the facts were about genetics. can you believe that potatoes have more chromosomes than humans?

Speaking of potatoes...

The potato chip was created out of spite. In 1853, when a customer at Moon's lake House in Saratoga Springs, New York, complained that head chef George Crum's potatoes were soggy and not salty enough, Crum stomped back to his kitchen, thinly sliced some potatoes, fried them until they were golden, poured salt all over them, and dumped them in front of the picky customer. They became known as "Saratoga chips" until Herman Lay, an enterprising young salesman, popularized the product throughout the country.

Mr Potato Head was the first toy advertised on television.

And now you know about the lowly potato.

From "That's a Fact, Jack" by Harry Bright and Jakob Anser.

Oscar Silhouettes

In case you missed them, here they are (most of them):

The Oscar Statue



Little Miss Sunshine



The Devil Wears Prada



Snake on a Plane

Favorite Oscar Moments

The silhouetted dancers forming the pictures from the movies. Cool.

How Are You Getting Here?

Over the past year...

• 2.34% of you come from Ragamuffin Soul (Thanks, Los!).
• 5.41% of you come from Ethos (Thanks, Randy!).
• 8.64% of you come from NewCov (thanks, Fresno!)
• 23.33% of you come in directly.

The other identifiable entry point are Google searches. 28.3% of you get here that way.

Some of you are looking for Pat Callahan.

• Maybe it's the Rev. Patrick Callahan. His name comes up first in a Google search for Pat Callahan. And while I am Rev. Patrick Callahan, I'm not THAT Rev. Patrick Callahan - the one from Seattle (although I used to live in Seattle and was the Rev. Patrick Callahan while I was there... only not THAT one).
• Or maybe you're looking for Pat Callahan from the rock band Seether (that Pat Callahan occupies spots 2 and 3 on the list). And while I like to think of myself as a rock star, I'm not THAT rock star (and apparently he isn't one anymore).
• My entry is 4th on that list.

Some of you are looking for Patrick Callahan. In that Google search, I beat out both the good Reverend and the rock star. My site is 4th on that list as well.

You can actually get to my quicker by searching for blonde boys. I'm first on that list (although I shudder to think what the person from Amsterdam was looking for when they happened upon my site).

Or you can get there by searching for blond boys. I'm second on that list. You don't want to know what's first.

And, strangely, a number of people arrive by searching for patty cake. I don't get it. I'm 7th on the list. I like cake. But it doesn't really make a lot of sense...

So however you got here... welcome. Thanks for stopping by - however you got here.

And please come back soon.

I Think I May Be Losing It...

Yesterday, the youngest blonde boy and I went to see Bridge to Terabithia. It is now a movie from Disney based on the Newberry Medal Award winning novel by Katherine Paterson. I've never read the book (that will be come obvious in a minute), but the movie was great.

Here's the basic story:

Jess Aarons had to be the Fastest runner at Lark Creek Elementary School, the best, but when he was challenged by Leslie Burke, a girl, that was just the beginning of a new season in Jess's life. Leslie and her parents were new comers to the rural community where Jess Lived, and were thought to be a bit odd, for they didn't even own a TV, though their house was filled with books. Some-what to Jess's surprise, he and Leslie became friends, and the worlds of imagination and learning that she opened to him changed him for ever. It was Leslie's idea to create Terabithia, their secret Kingdom in the woods where they reigned supreme. There no enemy - not their teacher Monster Mouth Meyers, their schoolmates Gary Fulcher and Janice Avery, Jess's Four sisters, or even Jess's own fears and Leslie's imaginary foes - could defeat them.

Essentially, the story is about two dreamers, two artists caught in a world not of their choosing who use their art to create a world of beauty and wonder and hope that provides a welcome respite from the crush of reality. It is a really beautiful story about these two great kids and the friendship the form.

One of the things I loved about the movie was the limited use of CG. Sure, it was sprinkled throughout, but it was used sparingly. After all, the whole point is that the kids were using their imagination.

***SPOILER ALERT***

So, if you don't know the story, toward the end of the story, Leslie dies. Just like that... she's gone. I thought this was a Disney movie. Oh yeah... I remember... I think Disney also released Where the Red Fern Grows and Old Yeller. How could I have been so blind?

***END SPOILER***

So I'm in this theater with my 6-year-old, thankful that there are only 13 other people in this massive room, and I am weeping.

Check that. I am crying. Let me be a little more specific. I am just on the verge of going into UGLY CRY. My face is drenched. Snot is running out of my nose. I know that I must have looked like a lunatic!

So there it is. The beginning of my slide into insanity. I look forward to my padded room with the little window that people look in and say things like, "How sad... He had so much going for him... What happened." To which the doctors in the white lab coats will reply, "He went to see Bridge to Terabithia."

All that said: Go see the movie.

The Return of Friday Funny Videos!

Did you know that Rachmaninoff had big hands? Well now you know...

Help a Brother Out

Don't get me wrong... I like SpitBox. It's a blog for bloggers. I have their banner on my blog. See... it's right over there on the right... just under my picture (that I hope to redo someday with Daley Hake, but that's another post for another time).

My beef with SpitBox? No link love for me. They even posted one of the articles I wrote on Santa Clause (read it on TBB HERE and SpitBox HERE).

What does it take to crack the list?

Amazing!

We closed the service with Tomlin's "Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)" from the Amazing Grace movie that is releasing this Friday.

Don't miss the movie - it looks great!

Check out Tomlin's music video for the song (it may take a minute to load...)

That's a Fact...

Did you know...

Dolly the sheep - the first cloned mammal - was named after country singer Dolly Parton. Stockmen dubbed the sheep "Dolly" because she was cloned from a mammary cell.

Greggor Mendell, "The father of genetics," twice failed the certification exam to become a high school science teacher.

Potatoes have more chromosomes than humans do - 48 versus 46.

From "That's a Fact, Jack" by Harry Bright and Jakob Anser.

Sweet new blog...

Check out Big T-licious speaks.

Drive Conference Videos

HERE they are... AWESOME!

Who Would You Book?

If you had the chance to book a musical act at the country fair for a "Faith Night," who would you book? You want to make sure they sell out so the fair will keep wanting to do "Faith Nights."

Leave your comment!

Great Artist

Check out the work of Daley Hake. What a great photographer!

I wonder if he could make me look as cool as Los?

Another New Re:Create Blogger...

And another one bites the dust. Randy has truly become the ultimate BlogFather. Check out Chris Vacher's blog, Chris from Canada.

OK, Chris... I've pimped your blog (and added it to my blog roll). How about a little link love for Two Blonde Boys?

Re:Create's Newest Blogger

Go check out Bob Chambless' blog, What About Bob.

Another re:create blogger is born!

Apple Store Coming to Fresno - Confirmed?

I was reading Jacob's Well and he linked to an article that mentioned that an Apple Store may be coming to Fresno. The linked article from MacNN had a link to an article from FresnoBee.com:

Fresno tempts Apple

Apple Inc. isn't talking, but the company could be opening a store in Fresno.

The computer giant's Web site says positions are open at a Fashion Fair mall store. There isn't an Apple store there now. The company also is advertising on CareerBuilder.com and Craigslist.com for a store manager.

Neither Fashion Fair nor Apple would comment about a Fresno store, with an Apple representative saying no announcements have been made for Fresno.

If Apple does open a store here, it would be the first in the central San Joaquin Valley. The next closest are in Sacramento, the Bay Area and Southern California.

Apple stores typically sell iPods, Mac computers and accessories.

So I checked the Apple website under Job Opportunities, and lo and behold, they ARE HIRING for a manager position for an Apple Store at Fashion Fair Mall (check the listing HERE). No dates are listed for any of the future stores, but it does have a store number (R236) associated with it and it is listed as a CURRENT (rather than a future) opening.

Confirmed?

Re:Create Day 4 - Rick Dempsey

Rick Dempsey, Senior VP at Disney is talking about branding. Here's the top 40 global brands, according to Business Week:

1. Coca-Cola (U.S)
2. Microsoft (U.S.)
3. IBM (U.S.)
4. General Electric (U.S.)
5. Intel (U.S.)
6. Nokia (Finland)
7. Toyota (Japan)
8. Disney (U.S.)
9. McDonald's (U.S.)
10. Mercedes (Germany)
11. Citi (U.S.)
12. Marlboro (U.S.)
13. Hewlett-Packard (U.S.)
14. American Express (U.S.)
15. BMW (Germany)
16. Gillette (U.S.)
17. Louis Vuitton (France)
18. Cisco (U.S.)
19. Honda (Japan)
20. Samsung (South Korea)
21. Merril Lynch (U.S.)
22. Pepsi (U.S)
23. Nescafe (Switzerland)
24. Google (U.S.)
25. Dell (U.S.)
26. Sony (Japan)
27. Budweiser (U.S.)
28. HSBC (U.K.)
29. Oracle (U.S.)
30. Ford (U.S.)
31. Nike (U.S.)
32. UPS (U.S.)
33. JP Morgan (U.S.)
34. SAP (Germany)
35. Canon (Japan)
36. Morgan Stanley (U.S.)
37. Goldman Sachs (U.S.)
38. Pfizer (U.S.)
39. Apple (U.S.)
40. Kellogg's (U.S.)

Sorry, Los... Apple is only #39, beat out by razors, (#16), purses (#17), and beer (#27). Look on the bright side, at least Apple beat out Cornflakes!

Re:Create Day 1 - Wrap Up

What a night! Word Music Group hosted a great writers night featuring Michael Farren, (from Pocket Full of Rocks) Mike Weaver (from Big Daddy Weave), Adam Agee (from Stellar Kart), Jason Roy (from Building 429), and Mark Roach. There were some really great songs that WILL be featured in some upcoming worship services very soon.

The highlight of the night was the surprise guest: Amy Grant. I could say so much about her set, but let me say a just couple of things:

• I had a huge crush in Amy during high school. in college, we had the life-size cut-out of Amy (the one from "Unguarded" where she was wearing the leopard-print jacket on the cover...) in our window in the house I lived in with four other guys.
• "The church" has mistreated Amy Grant. Remember when she was the first Christian cross-over artist? She was labeled a sell-out and her passion for Christ questioned. She was (to the best of my remembrance) the first person to consider herself a Christian entertainer (so that she could reach a larger audience in the end), and "the church" just didn't get it.
• Amy was very brave to come sing to a group of people from an organization that has pretty much turned its back on her.
• Amy ROCKED! It was incredible to "see" the voice I've listened to for so many years. It was surreal in a way. The falsetto licks... the pronunciations... it was all there.
• The last song she sang, a song she wrote to help her memorize Ephesians 6, was like listening to the ultimate culmination of her entire career. It was brilliant.

My final thought it this: I cannot believe that THE MOMENT I stepped out of the room, JVo got his picture with Amy. Dang!

Re:Create Day 1 - Blogging Seminar

Here it is... my first live blogging post from re:create.

We are hearing from some great Nashville bloggers:

• Brittney from Nashville is Talking
• Elizabeth from BusyMom.net

Bloggers at Re:Create

• Bobby Triplett
• John Voelz
• Carlos Whittaker (he also has SpitBox)
• Heather Whittaker
• Justin Adams
• Chad Jarnagin
• Brock Gill
• Auny Gill
• Ramon Presson
• Jeremy Theissen
• Rich Kirkpatrick
• Mark Jaffrey
  

I'll post the full list later this week (and more live posting to come).

Monday Morning at Meridee's

The re:create food-fest has begun in earnest! Mark and I caught up with Jeff and Randy (with a Brock and Auny sighting) at Meridee's, Randy's "office."

After breakfast there, I'd make it my office, too!

Sunday: Church, Lunch, and the Super Bowl Ads

I had a great time attending The People's Church this morning (you can check out their service HERE).

After church I went to lunch with Randy and Chris, Mark, Kathy, Chris, and John and Tahni Voelz at one of my favorite restaurant's, Saffire.














It was great to see Mark, who ministers in a Muslim country (Egypt), able to enjoy great meat - especially pork!


























Mark shared with us that he is the ONLY full-time worship pastor in his entire country!

After lunch, Randy, Mark, JVo, and I walked downtown Franklin. We stopped at a beautiful little Episcopal church - the oldest continuous-use Episcopal church west of the Appalachians. The stained-glass windows are behind bullet-proof glass because they are priceless- they were made by Tiffany!

Then we were back at Randy's house for the Super Bowl and of course, the Super Bowl ads! My top 3 were the Bud Light Rock-Paper-Scissors ad, the Chevrolet Topless Guys ad, and then a tie for 3rd between the Doritos Spicy Check-out ad and the Bud Light Hitchhiker ad. See all the ads HERE.

Which was your favorite?

Saturday: Walk Like an Egyptian

When I arrived in TN for re:create, it was actually quite warm - brick as compared to bone-chilling. While it got bone-chilling later in the evening, at 3 p.m., it was a balmy 36 degrees.

After getting in and getting settled, I ended up at dinner in downtown Franklin with Randy and Chris, Ben and Paige, Lauren, Matt (?), Joel, Garrett (?), Kathy, and Mark.

Mark is a worship leader from Cairo, Egypt (by way of Liverpool, England). Mark had just arrived after a 40-hour flight. He is a really fantastic guy and I really look forward to getting to know him (more on Mark later).

Had a great Italian dinner in a cozy restaurant (I tried a really delicious appetizer of flash-fried artichokes - delicious). After dinner, it was back to Randy's then back to the hotel for some Z's.

It's good to be here.

It's Really Early!

It is extremely early (for me). Went to bed at 11:00 last night. Got up at 3:45 this morning. I am now at the airport in Fresno... waiting.














Yes, my watch says 5:00. That is why my picture looks a little dazed - it's because I am.

Why am up so early? I am heading to Nashville, TN for the re:create conference, hosted by Randy Elrod. I'm looking forward to a great week of learning, being challenged, personal growth, and networking.

The TBB and I live in central California. We have just come through a bad freeze (your orange prices will be going up!). Fortunately, we have had some good weather lately. In fact, the next few days it is forecast to be in the high 60's to low 70's.



















Did I mention I was going to Nashville? The Nashville forcast if for cold weather. Weather where the high and the low for the day are both below freezing and only a few degrees apart. I think the average forecast high for next week is about 30.



















So think warm thoughts for me. Leave a comment to mock my whining (and shivering).

And stay tuned for some live blogging from re:create!

Fingerpainting

All I can say is, "Wow! "

Did You Know?

The term "the whole nine yards " dates from World War II. When fighter pilots armed their planes, the .50 caliber machine-gun ammunition belts loaded into the fuselage measured exactly 27 feet. If a pilot fired all his ammo at one target, it got "the whole nine yards."

From "That's a Fact Jack" by Harry Bright and Jakob Anser