Hosive

no more conan pangs! he’s back on the air tomm(monday june 1)!

no more staying up late to catch conan…he’s on earlier!   i can at least catch the first half of the show each night…maybe even more. that’s good timing since i’m starting to decline into old head-ness….especially with baby in less than 2 weeks!

for a bit, it might be me, baby and the red headed albino every night.

here’s a preview:

upon reflection, both conan and leno have been markers in my life….i’ve been a minister longer than jay was host of the tonite show…that’s some perspective for you. and me….and over time in the far future when jay maybe less known , i’ll be able to say that i’ve been in ministry longer than conan’s been on the air. assuming and hoping for a long run!

this is an acknowledged roller coaster with the common complaint being that there’s little plot. but when you get off the cyclone, do you complain about the story? if you take it for what it is….a visual romp that jars you from side to side…then you’ll be fine. this is summer blockbuster 101…loud, exciting, explosive, invigorating adrenaline jump charge to your nervous system…expect something for your brain and you’ll be put off.

it kinda ties in with the other terminator movies…john connor leads the resistance as new terminators of all kinds are introduced. and that’s it. there is a lot of explaining in a short period of time at the end as an attempt at cohesion. it felt forced and i didn’t buy it. however, i did like the ride.

this is a big screen movie only. at home, this is garbage….analogous to a picture of a thrill ride. i would only watch it again on the big screen for the new terminators and destruction. i won’t buy it. theresa agreed with me 100%

i got my second atu2.com shoutout! here’s the story:

i sent in a news bit about u2.com, the official band site, and the resolution of a fan club dispute with fans over the 2009 gift. each year, as a “thank you” for renewing, the band and the club send us a gift. however, the gift was announced late but fans with expiring memberships were encouraged to re-up with the promise of receiving the bonus once everything was figured out. but then it seemed like the club rescinded leaving many loyal fans with no 2009 goodie.

howeva!…the good folks moderating the site including baja and bigwave advocated for us and the cds are on their way! i thought atu2.com, the leading unofficial fan site would be interested so i sent it in. but it never appeared in the news.

but each week atu2.com has a column that drops on sunday….and if you scroll down, you’ll see this:

i’m as giddy as a schoolgirl once again!

there have been a few themes i’ve been trying to plant in people’s heads at vision church…that the reality of god will be brought about and seen in the actions of mostly ordinary people…everyday folks following the lead of god’s spirit that won’t draw much attention. as opposed to the loud, bright, booming spectacles and programs(and people) that we, the church have been enamored(addicted)with. we see in matthew’s gospel, joseph quietly follows the direction of god…and while mary usually gets the credit, joseph’s humble obedience is a forgotten gamechanger. what he does is he adopts jesus as his own….check the genealogy.

adoption appeals to believers because it tells the our story of faith in a tangible way. no blah blah blah or theological debating or wrangling(which has not done a good job of showing jesus at all)….but adoption communicates the love we’ve experienced when god takes us in and we become his children with all the rights and privileges…no class system…no awkward distinctions…a full relationship via the power of love. imagine if adoption was the reaction we had to social issues like abortion, poverty or aids instead of endless debates…..gamechanger.

our friends have been taking kids in for a few years now…and everytime i tell them what a great thing they are doing, they ask me what i mean. they are puzzled thinking what they do is something commonplace. i’ve lost track of how many kids they have opened their homes to. i joke that once believers start adopting, they have like 9. so its zero or a ton! currently they have 3 with one of their own on the way. without fanfare, they mentioned that their kids were on tv…cbs wanted to do a story on their youngest girls. so i looked it up.

Watch CBS Videos Online

i am in awe.

its not news that obama and cheney have been sniping at each other. and is it news that the news seems to lean left? or more accurately, leans obama?

exhibit a: here’s the picture cnn.com used recently to accompany the obama/cheney exchanges…

no bias there, eh? i saw bad pictures of cheney and bush throughout their time but have yet to see an unflattering picture of obama.

to their credit, cnn switched to this picture a short time later….perhaps after complaints?

but who watches the watchmen? who covers the news about newsmakers? do newsmakers see the biases they are swimming in everyday?

so i asked our friend leo chen one day, if his name is short for anything or is it just leo? he said….just leo. it got me thinking where that name came from. then we just started making up origins of the name. and started calling him permutations of leo.

so for one year, i’ll present one a week until we’ve exhausted the possibilities. we are now into our 6th month. i currently do not have 52 versions but only enough to get started. you can help if you’d like.

this week…..i will call my friend leo, liopleurodon as suggested by christi who draws from the youtube video charlie the unicorn

look at what i’ve called my friend leo so far

leonardo

leopold

for christmas, noel

leotard

leopatra

leoben(for bsg)

leometro

bibliotecha

fileo fish

leodis

leodore

leonazi

leopard

diosleos!

le occitane

speleology

leo and behold

leona helmsley

leogeo

leolithic

hustle and fleo

leonidas

los angeleos

when people come into the city, we are always surprised by where they want to visit or to go eat. they are equally surprised that we do not frequent those places or want to go eat there. no. i do not want to eat at ruby tuesdays , bennigans or tgifridays in times square. then they ask where we go……so here are the places we like…not the best or the cheapest or whatever category….just where we go and go on a regular basis…

the walls say bon bon…the packaging says bon chon. also, the bags used to say bon bon but if you looked closer, it was a sticker that covered the bon chon logo. no matter the name or the identity crisis, i know what i’m getting into: the korean fried chicken craze. with a choice of mild or spicy, both with asian taste sensibilities, these wings are an occasional treat. some testify that they are made with crack. this outpost is closer to lower manhattan so that you can get chicken without the pompous faux bar scene.

they also offer rice or bread here as a side order. that’s almost irrelevant. the main attraction is the chicken that is double cooked/fried that somehow makes it less greasy? maybe these are made with sorcery.

make sure to get the wings and not the drumsticks. the smaller bites have more flavor while the bigger pieces have the initial burst of flavor but then you wind up eating unseasoned bird…for a long time.

also make sure you have some time. these are made to order so there can be a delay. but don’t be scared away by this disclaimer on the wall about quality time care blah blah blah. that’s to cover their booties. it’s still downtown and there is not as much foot traffic as midtown. i’ve only experienced hit and run snacking here.

best ever urbana announcement dude, greg jao, approves!

i would argue that the one in k-town is a little tastier but this satisfies my korean fried chicken cravings whenever i’m in lower manhattan. i’m still waiting for the kyochon opening that has been promised since winter! that’s the place i tried in korea that blew away all the new york places. but then again, that’s seoul…..

it might have just been an excuse to hang out with q and the lee fam…the kids are pretty animated these days…

but after many a year in the states, a few deportation scares, a marriage to an all american girl and two boys born in philly, my boy q swore an oath to relinquish following principalities and despots…to become a united states citizen.

much to his delight, his american bride has decided to keep him and the marriage going…even after the ceremony!; which was a much shorter affair than i expected…maybe 15 minutes? many folks left before it was finished!…literally after their family member received their certificate! imagine students and their guests leaving the facility after receiving their diplomas!

still, a moving milestone and i was glad to be there with my friend.

as we celebrate this weekend and remember those who sacrificed for our way of life…i invoke the yankee stadium 7th inning stretch call for prayer for our troops. thank you, friends.

though i got to celebrate and enjoy the new stadium with jackie and larry on opening day, we did not get to enjoy a yankee victory. larry got jackie tickets to both opening day and the next day with the latter being the back up plan. but larry had no interest in going two days in a row so he drafted me to go with jackie, her sister and her sister’s friend. hungry for a win, i was eager to fill in.

for a few bucks more, i could upgrade from the bleachers to here. the upside is a more civilized crowd. less swearing, homophobia and sexual degradation.

less(that is).

but i feel further from the field. its a tough choice especially when i consider getting tickets for my daughter in the future.

the expensive seats continue to be empty. these are the luxury seats closest to the outfield still asking for $500 a pop. on both sides of the field, there were no takers. things will change as the season continues but clearly somebody made a mistake on pricing estimates.

i got to try some more yankee cuisine…these are the buffalo chicken sliders that we tried to get at the cubs exhibition but were sold out. they are real chicken and were pretty tasty. decent ballpark food choice! i think i may get this again.

my first yankee hot dog of the year. pretty standard but in a solid way. i usually only have a few hot dogs a year…with memorial day being the season. but with theresa pregnant this year, we will pass on that.

the is the view all around the stadium from the right field pole seats. pretty majestic. especially during the barrage of homers that many yankee fans have seen.

and a win! mariano was a bit shaky but we got the first win at the stadium!

i love being at the ballpark…sublime.

i’ve been on the road the whole week in chicago with not much time to upload pics or write posts….so only a quick wave from the chicago burbs but will put down some reflections soon. especially after some rich reunions and times with friends and fellow pastors.

happy to confirm that dallas is a go for me to see jaq jaq….enjoy: