L.A. Scares Me!

I have been to Los Angeles many times and really havnt thought twice about my safety. Yes, I know the city is filled with crime, but what big city isnt?
The other day I had my chance to go to a dodger game against the giants.
Now I am not sure if I was in danger because I was in LA or the fact they were facing their rivals and my friend was wearing a giants jersey but I thought I was going to see Jesus. Here is what took place.
Friend gets harrassed and cussed at the entire game.
Friend gets Beer dumped on his head.
Teenager girl in row behind us wearing a giants jersey gets the same, plus threatened by older men saying they were going to get her in the parking lot.
I counted 9 fights that broke out through out the stadium.
People yelled out into left field to Barry Bonds that they were going to kill him.
Friend gets threatened in parking lot after game that he will get beat up if he says anything about the giants.

I dont know if this is just a normal CA thing but it sure doesnt happen in Texas.

Now I have a decision I have to make.
i am going to the Maverick, Warriors playoff game in Oakland today.
Do I or do I not wear my Maverick Jersey? That is the question.

The smells of the Central Valley

I have never lived in a place that had so many different smells in the air.
There are two of them that stick out. One of them is really good and the other, not so much.
In case you don't know where I am living, I live in a little town called Exeter which is about 45 minutes south of Fresno. I work in a bigger town called Visalia which is about 15 minutes away from where I live.
When I first interviewed in Visalia, the first thing that caught my attention was Cow crap. It is not always around but if the wind blows the right way, bad things happen. They told me that I would get used to it. It has been a year, it still makes me sick to my stomach.
But Exeter has a different smell. There are literally thousands of orange trees planted in this town. Its amazing. When the trees are blossoming, it is seriously like an orange perfume in the air.
So you have cows and oranges. Good thing you can never smell them at the same time.

Let the games begin...

Anyone who knows me at all, knows that anytime between April and June is a special time. That is because the NBA playoffs start and the Dallas Mavericks begin their quest for the title. Now why is this a big deal? Let me tell you. I have been waiting 27 years for this to happen. I remember going to games when I was 5. The team was horrible yet, I still watched. The closest they came was last year when they made it to the finals and eventually lost. I guess you could kind of compare me to Jimmy Fallon in Fever Pitch. Yes, I am that passionate about the team. I'm already planning my trip to Dallas for the parade when they win.

Here are some things you should know (if you don't already)

1. Never call me during a game. I won't answer.
2. Never ask me to hangout during a game. I won't go. (I left my college graduation party early in 02 to watch a game.)
3. Never be around me if they lose a game. (I broke my TV in 03 by hitting it after the game.) No Josh, I don't need anger management.
4. Please never bet me on a game. I lose all sense of reasoning and make stupid bets.

That's about it. You might ask me " What have the Mavs ever done for you?"
The real question is, What have I still not done for the Mavs?

PRAISE THE LORD!

Sanjaya finally got voted off of American Idol. The fact that he made it to the top 7 is beyond me. He was horrible. American Idol can go back to normal and someone who actually has talent will win.

Biggest dog ever

Can you imagine cleaning up after this thing?


Hercules was recently awarded the honourable distinction of Worlds Biggest
Dog by Guinness World Records. Hercules is an English Mastiff and has a 38
inch neck and weighs 282 pounds.

With "paws the size of softballs" (reports the Boston Herald), the
three-year-old monster is far larger and heavier than his breed's standard
200lb. limit. Hercules owner Mr. Flynn says that Hercules weight is natural
and not induced by a bizarre diet: "I fed him normal food and he just
grew".... and grew, and grew, and grew.

More Random Facts

For your reading pleasures.

1. If you leave a goldfish in a dark room for years, it will turn white.

2. JFK's golf clubs sold for $772,500 at a 1996 auction. The buyer was Arnold Schwarzenegger.

3. Marilyn Monroe used to cut down the heel on one of her shoes to achieve her butt-wiggling walk in films.

4. If you fart consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb.

5. No president of the United states was an only child.

6. The 1st live televised murder was in 1963, when Jack Ruby killed JFK's assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald while millions of viewers watched.

7. The lights of Las Vegas at night can be seen from outer space.

8. The soundtrack to Oklahoma was the first album to sell one million copies on August 18, 1958.

9. The world's largest burrito weighed 4,217 lbs.

10. There are more collect calls on Father's Day than any other day of the year.

Doesn't this just blow your mind?

At three minutes and four seconds after 2 AM on the 6th of May this year, the time and date will be: 02:03:04 05/06/07

Men's Retreat

Just spent the past weekend up near Yosemite for our churches annual men's retreat.
It was a great weekend of food, fellowship, Frisbee golf, and a challenging speaker.
The speaker is Mark Cahill. He is a sold out evangelist that spends every single day street witnessing at malls, airports, bars, casinos, and basically anywhere else he is at. Although I didn't agree with everything he said, he definitely challenged me to be more outspoken to nonbelievers about my faith.
I also won the Frisbee golf tournament. It looks like my skills from my internship never left me.

Random Facts

I have come to the realization that besides entertainment value, my blog doesn't give the reader that much. Well, today that is going to change. Every Monday I am going to educate you with 10 random facts. I will do massive amounts of research each week so that you might gain more knowledge. Here are this weeks 10 random facts.

1. 52% of Americans drink coffee.

2. By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you cannot sink into quicksand.

3 A person uses approximately fifty-seven sheets of toilet paper each day.

4. A sneeze can exceed the speed of 100 mph.

5. About 24% of the total ground area of Los Angeles is said to be committed to automobiles.

6. Al Gore and Tommy Lee Jones were once roommates.

7. All polar bears are left-handed.

8. 1/3 of people with alarm clocks hit the 'snooze' button every morning, and from 25-34 age group, it is over 1/2.

9. Elvis Presley made his first appearance on national television in 1956. He sang Blue Suede Shoes and Heartbreak Hotel on "The Dorsey Brothers Show."

10. In "Silence of the Lambs", Hannibal Lector (Anthony Hopkins) does not blink in any scene.

Consider yourself smarter.

Money down the drain

This year I decided that I was really going to get into baseball.
As a kid, it was my favorite sport and I would watch every Texas Ranger game from 1st inning until it was over. It faded away when everyone started cheating and going on strike for more money. And collecting baseball cards helped the interest stay alive. So this season I forked out some money to Direct TV for the League Pass, so I can see whatever Ranger games I wanted to. But it looks like the Rangers are going to suck again for the 24th straight year. They have already started out 0 and 3.

Can Direct TV give you a refund if your team sucks? I should call and find out.

A Sad Day

Tragedy struck in our church a couple days ago.
A beautiful 19 year old girl who grew up in the church died in a car accident.
Now we are preparing for the funeral for this Friday. I havn't dealt with death much in my life so I cant even imagine what the family is going through. But I always wonder why these things can happen to a person that has so much life and potential ahead of them. It makes me realize that we really don't know when our time is up, and we should live every day as if it were our last.

If you have the time, say a little prayer for the family.

Grill = Death Trap

I really don't know why but I have been inspired to become a cook.
It has been really nice weather, so I have been grilling out quite a bit. And almost dying. The igniter for the grill broke off, so there is only one way to fire up the stupid thing. I have to crank of the gas, light a match, and dive away from the grill. A few days ago, the fire came up and singed the hair on my right arm. It smelled like smoke for the next 2 days. If you don't hear from me in the next few days, well you know how I went out.

Slow Week

It is a really quiet in the office this week. There are no small groups this Wed. because of Easter break, no Jr. High this Sunday and the hig school team is in Mexico on a mission trip. The youth offices are on the other side of the church so its just lonely me. I think its time to call up a few kids and play a little Frisbee golf.