the unlikely orange

 talk about a throwback thursday. on this day, may 29th, exactly 20 years ago, i received a diploma from jessamine county high school at the memorial coliseum on the campus of the university of kentucky. twenty.  years.  ago. i guess that is supposed to make me feel old, and i guess in one sense it does, but the more powerful sensation is one of utter disbelief that it has been twenty years since that day.  of course, the camera holds no such surprise.  i look twenty years younger in these pictures.  and about 40 years skinnier.  but my existential reality allows for some wiggle room when it comes to self-image.  so, in my mind, even though my appearance has changed - i've grown some grayer hairs and some deeper lines in those years - my self is still my self.  i have learned some things and lost some things along the way, but it feels more like five to ten years ago than twenty.  i have lived in 4 different states during that...

okay.  so here's the problem.  the longer i go without posting something worth writing and reading on this blog, the harder it gets to post at all.  i think its been nearly two weeks since i wrote, and when that happens, i feel more and more pressure (from myself) to write something that validates the lack of posts. but i got nothing. so, in an effort to just grit my teeth and forge ahead today, i am singularly rejecting the idea that all my absenteeism requires some epic post to compensate.  instead, i will simply jot down a few things rattling around in my head this morning. the other night at dinner quin told us that he likes to eat yodels at a wash-a-not.  and that he likes flushies and hot gogs from target.  (yodels = noodles; wash-a-not = restaurant; flushies = slushies).  he also calls that orange circle through which you toss a ball to earn two points by the following name: basketball poop.   i've been on a huge bruce springste...

bruce springsteen has been around awhile.  i mean, he's nearly 65 years old, after all.  he's been doing this thing for close to 50 years now, starting in small clubs along the jersey shore, and going to a point  where he could sell it out the same arena multiple nights in a row.  he is, among other things, a professional entertainer, and he does it well. i got Shannon tickets to see bruce for mother's day (as a surprise.  if you didn't see the video, you can watch it at the bottom of this post), but it was one of those presents that was as much for me as it was for her.  truthfully, she appreciated him before i ever did, but now i have become a big fan.  still, when i saw that he was going to be in hershey, pa, i didn't know when this chance might come again.  so i scooped up a couple of tickets, and got ready.  that was in mid-february.  i had three months to wait and sit on that secret. finally, shannon saw the video, and th...

i did something i swore i would never do. i watched "the blindside" starring sandra bullock and tim mcgraw.  i get a little nauseous just typing it. you see, it is the story of one michael oher, and his amazing tale of rising to being drafted by an nfl team and playing professional football.  it would be a perfectly awesome story and  movie if he wasn't drafted by the purple browns of baltimore, but he was, and so i had sworn that i would never watch such a piece of filth. but i did. and i'm glad i did. what an amazing story.  i mean, michael's story is certainly inspirational, going from the projects to the pros, but i was far more moved by the story of leigh ann tuohy and her family, and their compassion, generosity, and extraordinary love.  the film is 5 years old now, so i'm not worried about giving anything away at this point.  SPOILER ALERT.  the kid is from a rough background, finds himself somehow (by the grace of God?) going to a ...

happy mothers day to all the moms out there...the work you do is so often thankless, but about as critical as anything i can imagine.  you deserve so much more than a day of thanks!  here's hoping that the appreciation that those you love have for you finds a way to the surface each and every day! still, it's great to get one very special day.  and so it has become a tradition in our house to honor the awesome lady of our house with a video tribute to try and demonstrate just how much we adore and appreciate her.  this is our sixth one of these little video-gifts, and i think we have more and more fun every year. this year, i incorporated her super-surprise mothers day gift into  the music video.  but i won't spoil it yet.  you can watch for yourself.  and then i'll tell you. we went with a bruce springsteen theme this year, and shot in at least 9 different locations, and had several costume changes as well.  the boys really get into it...

on sunday, our church celebrated a truly awesome moment when 8 of our young people confirmed their faith in Jesus in front of God, their families, and our whole church community. it has become unpopular in our culture for youth to go through confirmation programs anymore, and many churches have so watered down confirmation programs by shortening and sweetening them in an effort to make them more palatable, that it hardly retains any meaning or significance. and that's a shame.  because confirmation is important.  think about your name.  your full name. it was given to you. your parents or grandparents or rich uncle (who whoever named you) didn't consult you first.  they didn't put a bunch of names on a list and ask you to pick.  they didn't leave you nameless until you were old enough to decide for yourself.  they simply picked a name.  the same is true of your last name, in a different sort of way.  you certainly weren't consulted abou...