Oh Lent

SO...it's been three days so far into Lent, and I've broken two things already!

The first day I played a video game online without even thinking about it. I only played for a couple minutes, but I realized the next day that I had played nonetheless.

And then today I went to Quiznos and without thinking I ordered my sandwich with a chocolate chip cookie. Chocolate! Dagnabbit!!!

Well, I'm trying...

Anyone Want to Buy Tickets for YC???

So our youth group is going to YC (Youth Convention) in Edmonton. This is our third time going, and I'm loving the lineup this year. David Crowder Band, Relient K, Toby Mac, Matt Maher, and MORE!!!! Haha, so today was registration day.


The first time we went I bought tickets way too late and got terrible seats up in the third level which has TERRIBLE sound. Audio Adrenaline was playing and I didn't even realize till mid song that they were playing "Big House". Yeah, that's probably the most recognizable song I know by them and I couldn't recognize it. That's how bad the sound was!


Last year I had been told the best way to get tickets is to mail in your registration early. The seats that you get are random, but at least you get somewhat decent seating. So we did that and I actually liked where we were seated (to the right of the stage up in the second level). I thought the sound was good and you could see everyone really well. But I thought we would get better seats than that.


So this year I tried something new and I bought tickets online. If you remember the last time two times I bought tickets online, you know one was an absolute success and the other was utter failure. Well, this third time was a combination of success and failure...


So I woke up at 8:30 and prepared myself for the 9am sale time. I figured out I needed to get about 32 tickets, had my credit card ready and proceeded to do the repeat refresh page method a couple minutes before 9. When it opened it said I should expect to wait 11 minutes. Sucks, but ok. On the page it also said you could hit refresh again to update your wait time. So after a minute I refreshed and the wait time jumped to 3 mins!!! Shaved off 7 mins of waiting...


Until, I decided to hit the refresh button again. I don't know why I did it, I only had to wait 3 mins, but I did it anyways. And then the wait time said 18 mins! What?!?! So I thought, it doesnt hurt to hit it again, and it dropped to 9 mins. I wasn't about to try my luck again so I stayed with that. So at 9:13 I got to choose my seats.


There was some really good ones in the middle of the first level. So I choose 32 seats and hit checkout only to discover, oh, those seats were taken while I was clicking on them. So I went back and choose a different 32 seats. Oh, those ones are gone too! Oh, now that whole section is sold out! So I jump over to another section, click 32 seats, and......also gone! In an instant all these seats were taken. And then I quickly realized I wasn't going to be able to find 32 seats together.


So I started buying up chunks of seats at a time. I bought 6 tickets in one section, 10 in another section, 4 in another. I was just trying to get as many clumps as I could to add up to 32 seats. Unfortunately, all these clumps were behind the stage, but at least they were first level. I was so frustrated that I didn't get any of those really good seats. If I had just bought those in clumps I would have got them.


BUT THEN...I noticed that some seats had opened up on the floor. I thought, why not check it out, maybe there'll be 2 seats together, but I figured it would just be singles. And when the screen changed what did I see??? 28 seats all together in one row!!! As quickly as I could I bought them...I didn't even think about the 32 other seats I had already bought. And they are ours!!!!!! We get floor seats at YC, I can't believe it!!!


But now I'm stuck with a butt load of tickets I have to sell on my own. Sooooo, if you know of anyone that wants to go, or a youth pastor that is looking to bring a group, I have some good first level tickets for sale!


These are the number of seats I have for the different sections:
134 - 2 seats
130 - 6 seats
128 - 10 seats
126 - 8 seats
124 - 4 seats

I sure hope I can sell them all.......

A Little Scare

So recently we've had a little issue with furry creatures nibbling into candy bars in the youth room. So the guy in charge of the building put out some rat poison to get them. However, I still find chocolate bars nibbled in to every time I go in there.

So finally I moved all the candy into the cupboards. We'll see if that keeps them out, but the poison is still sitting out there. Today I went to get some pop from the fridge for my lunch and it looked like some of the poison may have been eaten! This excited me, cause hopefully now they've been busted.

Well, I took a bottle of ginger ale from the fridge and started to leave when I started to hear something. I stopped moving and sure enough, I could hear this whiny kinda high pitched moaning. The mouse had eaten the poison and was now dying in the room somewhere!!!!

I shuddered to think of finding a mouse dying when I realized....the sound was coming from the pop bottle. The lid wasn't closed all the way and the carbonation was leaking. What an adventure!

Paradigm Shift

A long time ago my brother Kevin was reading the book, "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey. I borrowed the book from him and barely read it, YET, I managed to learn some really important things from the little bit that I did read. One thing I learned was interdependence. Maybe I'll write about that some other time, cause today we're talking about Paradigm Shifts!

A paradigm shift is a change in basic assumptions. Covey gives the example of traveling on the subway there was a man with two sons, and the boys are running all over the place bothering everyone and being a nuisance. So he finally can't take it anymore and he asks the dad why he doesn't do something to control them. The dad replies, "We just got back from the hospital where their mother died. I don't know how to handle it and I guess they don't either."

So the basic assumption is, these kids are out of control because their dad doesn't discipline them. However, upon further examination we discover there is a completely different reason for the kids behaviour and now we have a....PARADIGM SHIFT!!!!!

These shifts happen all the time in life. I love them because they're like twist endings but in the real world.


If someone gave you a box of chocolates, I'm sure you'd be more than thrilled to receive such a gift, right? Who doesn't like a free box of chocolates?!? You'd think, "Aww, that's a nice gesture, thank you very much!"

But what if the person giving you that box of chocolates was an obsessive ex-boyfriend? Doesn't matter how wonderful the present is, because it's coming from this creep we now have a paradigm shift on our hands! I find that fascinating, the box of chocolates hasn't changed, they would still be delicious...yet now you want nothing to do with them simply because it's more than just chocolates here.

I experience these shifts all the time, but I recently encountered one and that's what inspired me to write about this topic today. Broken Social Scene has a song called "Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl." I like this song a lot, mostly because it's kinda depressing and haunting and I'm drawn to that type of music. I don't know exactly what the song is about, but it kinda sounds like someone regretting the departure of their girl. I doubt this is the actual video, but here's the song nonetheless:


So it's a sad song...mourning loss.

The final line is,
"Now you're all gone
Got your makeup on
And you're not coming back."

I saw Broken Social Scene in concert a few weeks ago and they played that song. But something changed for me. When it came to that final line, rather than it just ending there in silence (like it does when I'm alone), the whole room burst into applause and hollers. I experienced a paradigm shift!

Rather than seeing the song as mourning loss, for me it now turned into celebrating loss. Celebration that the past has passed and it is not coming back. Celebration that once was sad is ALL gone.

Completely.

Totally.

Finally.

Gone!

And in that we can rejoice...

The Return of Lent

Lent begins once again this Wednesday. As per usual, I will be giving something up for Lent. This season is based on Jesus' 40 day fast that he took in the wilderness after his baptism.


For me, it is a time to center myself on Christ and surrender my will again to his. I give up certain comforts of my life to remind me how much more important Jesus is in life than luxury. If you know me, you know that each year I give up the same things and then add something new. Well, I've modified it a little, but the spirit remains. Here is the list of what I'm giving up this year:

Pop
Chocolate
Watching movies/DVD's by myself
Playing video games by myself
Fries
Hamburgers
Fast Food (excluding Subway and Quiznoes, of course)
Popcorn
Coffee
Slurpies

I don't tell you I'm doing this to brag...on the contrary I'm telling you this so that you'll help me remain faithful to this promise.

One problem that I've realized is that I said I'd watch all of Hitchcock's movies by March 15, but Lent starts this Wednesday. My goal is to watch all the not so good ones by Tues, but that will leave 5 more to go. I won't be able to watch them alone so I need your help! Anyone interested in watching any of these movies with me?

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934 version)
Secret Agent
Rebecca
Lifeboat
The Paradine Case

Also I invite you to fast along with me...

Texting

I hate texting! I really really despise it. Maybe I would like it if I had the full keypad, but it is so frustrating typing things out with the number keys.

I just recently discovered predictive texting, which has alleviated some of the frustration, but i still hate it! I find texting is helpful for sending quick notes, especially if you don't want to bother someone by calling them if it's late or you know they're probably eating or at work. BUT, I cannot stand having conversations with people via texting. It is sooooo tedious typing it all out like that, just call me!


And those are all my thoughts on texting.

Random Attraction

I don't usually talk about girls I find attractive. I like to keep that information personal. Don't really know what I've told people actually, but there are some things I like about girls and some things I don't. Pretty normal, just I like to keep that to myself.

But there are a couple girls I've noticed I am attracted to, and it's kinda weird cause they don't really fit the profile of girls I like. I'll let you in on one secret, I don't usually go for blonds. But both of these fine ladies are...

So here they are, the two girls that I am randomly attracted to:


Chelsea Handler

Chelsea has her own late night talk show called "Chelsea Lately." I don't watch it very often, but when I do, I can't help but have feelings for this lady. She's 33 so she's only a few years older than me, but there is something about her that makes me think, "I don't think many guys are attracted to her." Am I wrong? I have no clue. There's something about her personality that I like a lot. She's witty, insulting, and sarcastic. Are those admirable traits to be looking for in a wife?


Randene Neill

Haha, yes, the news anchor lady. Once again, don't really get why I like her. She's quite a bit older than me, but I don't care. And once again, there is something about her personality that sparks interest for me. She's strong and confident, and often puts the other anchors in their place when they share their opinions. Yeah, she's hot...

So, I'll keep my eye out for more random attractions if you're curious now.

The Incredible Shrinking List

I officially have all these movies in my possession now! And...the list has been shortened by 4!!! Oh man, I've got to pick up the pace if I'm going to see them all by March 15!!!!

Silent Films

The Pleasure Garden
Downhill
The Ring
Easy Virtue
The Farmer's Wife
Champagne
The Manxman

Sound Films

Number Seventeen *
Waltzes from Vienna *
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934 version)
Secret Agent
Jamaica Inn *

More Professional Films

Rebecca
Lifeboat
The Paradine Case
Under Capricorn *

One Day Dan Will...

I don't normally do these kinds of things, but this one struck my fancy:

Google Game Rules: Go to Google and type (in quotation marks) "One day (your name here) will".
Type in the first ten things that come up and repost in your own note.

1. One day Dan will be elderly and nobody is going to take his call.

2. One day Dan will have that experience, but this team need's experience now to be able to develop.

3. One day Dan will tell us more about his extraordinary life-- how he left Rochester to make his fortune in the Golden State.

4. One day Dan will make a clock-stopping album to file next to Moving Up Country, American Water or Farewell Sorrow.

5. One day Dan will tell you about the time he single handedly wrestled down a hungry python.

6. One day Dan will understand that he, too, was given such a gift.

7. One day Dan will publish his seasoned thoughts on the matter.

8. One day Dan will call and say, "Matt. I've been practicing my drums and, dude, I'm ready to rock again."

9. One day Dan will play th violin wiv a rusty razor blade.

10. One day Dan will become Saucy Jack himself, when Jack retires.

okay, i cheated a little and put down some of the better ones after the first 10.

The Story of Ed Wood

For some time I've been interested in watching the Tim Burton film, "Ed Wood" starring Johnny Depp. When I moved here to Ladner over 3 years ago I walked into our neighbourhood Blockbuster and saw they had it for rent, but it was not available at the time. So I rented something else.

The next week I came in looking to see if it was in. It was not. I rented something else.


Again I returned a week later to find...of course it was not there! So I asked the employee, "Do you know when 'Ed Wood' will be returned?" He replied, "According to the computer, it is missing." Oh, okay...so I asked him when they'd be getting it back in. He didn't really know the answer to that question and just kinda mumbled nonsense to me.

I've been going to that Blockbuster on a number of occasions since and it has never been available to rent, yet the case just sits there, taunting me!


So one of my youth, the infamous JOSH HUGHES, got a job at Blockbuster. What do you think the first thing I asked him was? "Is there any way this movie will be available for rent? Is there anything you can do to get it?" Josh, also, was powerless to help me. Ed Wood would never be available for me to rent from this store!!!!

I tormented Josh about this over and over. I'm pretty sure Josh was getting more and more pissed off with me as a result. Finally I stopped, but then it became our inside joke.

So I decided to give Josh a little present. I stole the insert from the movie case and brought it back to the church. I then found a pic of Josh on facebook and shrunk it. I then printed it, cut it out, and pasted it over Johnny Depp's face on the picture. I also changed it from saying Johnny Depp to Josh Hughes.

I snuck the picture back into the Blockbuster and slipped it into the case. I left it there, so that anyone who walked by would think Ed Wood starred Josh Hughes and not Johnny Depp. That night I called Josh while he was working and asked him if Ed Wood was available for rent. He awkwardly chuckled, "Do you want me to check the computer?" To which I replied, "No, I really think you should LOOK FOR IT MANUALLY!" He asked if he could check later. I said yes.

The next day I asked him what he thought. He never checked...


So I told him, "You really should take a good look with your own eyes to see if it's there!" Then he did and he peed himself (I made that part up). Eventually other people in the store found it. They peed themselves too. Even the managers all know about it (and peed themselves), and they left it there, with no intention of course, of ever getting the movie in for rent.


Well two weeks ago Josh told me he had something special for me. Can you guess what it is? That's right, he bought me my very own copy of ED WOOD!!!!!!!! I always watch Lost with him and Clayton and Mark on Wednesdays, so we decided to watch one half last week and the second half tonight after Lost.

I tell ya, the movie was a lot different than I thought it was going to be! After the first part I thought none of the other guys liked it, but I enjoyed it of course. Then this week they all said they were excited to watch the second part, and I definitely like the second half as well! What a strange movie, what a strange man...what a fun experience!

And it doesn't end there, because...


"We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives."

p.p.s.

i'm happy to announce, there will be MORE kortney posts!!!! I just recently got the greenlight from her to continue the series! now all i need is to find more tonya harding pics...

p.s.

you might have missed it over the holidays, so i just wanted to point out that I did do one final post about kortney...

http://iamcooper.blogspot.com/2008/12/kortney-iv.html

My Alarm Clock

I've had the same alarm clock since about Grade 9. I have dropped it on multiple occasions and it still works perfectly!


This isn't my clock, but similar (mine doesn't have a radio).

The sound of my alarm clock intrigues me. I'm been trying to find something on the internet to better explain this phenomenon, but I had no luck. You see, my alarm clock makes the exact same noise every time it goes off, BUT...it always sounds different!

Do you know what I mean? Sometimes it sounds super urgent. Sometimes it's soothing. Today it sounded staccato. I can't really describe how I perceive it, but it sure is interesting.

I wish I could say more about it. I think you need to live in my head or point me to something on the world wide web. There's some sort of effect where you perceive a repetitive sound differently each time. Oh well, I think it's weird...

I've become way too accustomed to my alarm clock. For one thing, I can't have the alarm clock right beside my bed, because I'll shut it off unconsciously. I also can't use the snooze button anymore. If I don't need to wake up, but I try to get up early, I'll start hitting the snooze button. Unfortunately, I end up hitting the snooze button for about 2 hours. Then I feel like garbage cause I kept waking up every 9 mins. So now, my trick is if I feel like sleeping still, instead of hitting the snooze button I'll reset the alarm to go off in 40-60 mins. Then I usually will get up the second time it goes off rather than fighting with it all morning. I just started this new trick and so far it's working pretty good.

I have this secret hope that my alarm clock will never die. I love this clock and am committed to spending my whole life with it.

You Win Some, You Lose Some...

I like going to concerts, but it's not the highest priority on my list of things to do. However, a few notable concerts have arisen and this has been my experience.


It all started with Eric asking me if I wanted to see Broken Social Scene. To be honest, my first thought was, "hmm they're okay." But as I thought about it more, I realized I actually really like them, so I said, "Yes!" And now I am going tonight!!

Then I got an email from David Bazan saying he's got some upcoming house shows on the West Coast. One came up in Bellingham and I thought, "Wow, that would be really cool if I could get in on that party!" So I asked Phil if he would want to go and he said, "Heck yes!" So on Thursday I got ready at precisely 1pm for the tickets to go on sale. I kept refreshing my browser over and over until finally at 1:07pm it finally went through...and I got tickets!!!! I couldn't believe it, I thought it would sell out super quickly, but it took about 30 mins for the rest of the tickets to go.


So Phil and I, along with 40 others, will have our own private show with David Bazan. This is going to be sweet! And now I realize that I'm telling the whole world, I completely forgot to check in with Celia and Adam to find out if they were interested. It dawned on me today, I'm totally sorry!!!

The reason I forgot is probably because I had my mind even more focused on getting Flight of the Conchords tickets. They are coming to Vancouver in May. Tickets went on sale today at 10am and I did the same refreshing and checking trick as I had done the day before. Well, the instant it came online I clicked on it and...nothing! Zilch. No tickets available. Left out in the cold. Spencer, did you get tickets?


So, I'm not going to complain. To be honest, I've been losing interest in the Conchords lately. Oh well...I'm still sad.

But also happy! Because I'm seeing Broken Social Scene tonight, and David Bazan at the end of the month...yay!!!

Tonight

"give me hands...without the copper sweat of clinging change"

when i was in grade 11 this was part of a poem we studied called "As in the Beginning" by Mary Di Michele. when i first read that line i misunderstood it. i thought it meant change as in to alter or transform. when really i'm sure most people would understand it to mean change as in coins.

i tend to see things differently than others. which often leads to many misunderstandings, such is my lot in life. but i like to think i see things others miss. i appreciate things others take for granted. i make connections others wouldn't.

whenever i feel change coming around the corner at any moment, i say to myself, "the copper sweat of clinging change." clinging change in the literal sense is to hold coins in your hand. clinging change in the daniel sense is more complex.

cling: to remain or linger as if resisting complete dissipation or dispersal

change: to make or become different

it's as if the change is inevitable. it is going to happen. it is unstoppable.
but it's not quite time for change to happen. so you can feel the copper sweat of clinging change.

i feel the copper sweat of clinging change.

The Lord Spoke To Me

That seems like a scary phrase to hear these days. Anytime someone says, "The Lord told me this" or something along those lines it's like our critical minds switch on and we've immediately concluded this person is delusional. I guess it's been our experience that people either abuse this phrase to validate a decision they've made that others wouldn't agree with, or maybe they're in self-denial.

But doesn't God speak to us today still? No? How does he speak to us?

Even though some of us are convinced that yes indeed, God had truly spoken a personal word into my life, we won't say, "The Lord told me." Instead we'll say, "I feel like the Lord has told me..." Even though we don't really feel like God has told us, we're quite certain he has told us, we still say it like that because we don't want people to think we're nuts and belong in the category of people I first mentioned.

We're cautious, we don't want to be seen as false prophets, we don't want to say something for fear of it not coming true.

So the other day I began to wonder. We assume from the Biblical stories that God spoke audibly in the past to his chosen people. But what if he didn't? What if he spoke to them in the same way he speaks to us now? And then when they passed their stories on they would be speaking after the fact, knowing then that it really was God speaking to them. I wonder...

What do you think?