. . . and I feel fine.

I’m back!  I guess.  Sorry it’s been so long since I last posted, but life has been CRAZY!

Where to start with the updates?

Well, I guess the beginning would be a good idea.  I did mention that I passed all my classes this last semester (which was a great relief for me) and I’m currently enjoying a very busy summer without classes.  I’m working even more for the bank now, and my days are long, but it’s all worth it. 

My artwork has taken something of an interesting turn.  The comic is officially (unofficially?) on hold.  G33x Nexus Entertainment is looking at producing a full-fledged GOOD game within the next two years.  And of course, I’m the head of the art department, so not only am I in charge of recruiting and supervising concept artists, I’m also expected to crank out the majority of the work!  It’s great fun, and I get to sit and doodle with ideas I never quite knew I had.  It’s kind of fun, because I’ve been unofficially handed most of the evil stuff because I seem to come up with some really dark, creepy things!

Such is the curse of an overactive imagination.

Apart from that, I’m also doing a lot of database work for a local company and enjoying married life! 

I’ve also finally had some time to catch up on a few movies that I’ve missed over the last few months.  One of these has especially stood out among the rest:

Apocalypto

Mel Gibson is an amazing director and has a knack for crafting original and relevant stories every time he gets behind the camera.  Braveheart and The Passion of the Christ are two prime examples.  He has definitely managed to do it again.  Apocalypto is an intense, heartfelt, breathtaking achievement of monumentous proportions.  You will find yourself deeply invested in the lives of several members of a vanished culture as you have never expected to be before.  Rent this movie at the very least.  If you’re a collector – BUY IT!

Hey guys!  Sorry it’s been so long between posts, but after that last one, things got CRAZY.

Just a quick update:  I passed all my classes this past semester (hooray) and was happily married on May 12, 2007!

I’ll post more when I have more time.

Okay, this post may sound a little mean.  I guarantee you, it is not intended as such.

I wish people would quit talking about the VA Tech incident.

Everywhere I’ve gone for the last two days, EVERYONE has been talking about the gunman who killed 32 people at VA Tech on Monday.  News reports constantly running, headlines detailing minutiae of the case, radio talk shows debating whether or not there will be a copycat incident within the next two months.

Guys . . . seriously.  Is this really necessary?

It was a travesty, yes.  Don’t think for a moment that I don’t grieve for those people.  It sickens me to see life snuffed out so needlessly.  Heroism was evident as well when the professor who survived the holocaust gave his life to protect those students.  I’m not saying I think it should have happened or that they got what they deserved or that I don’t care about these people.  I do care.

I don’t want to hear about every detail of the case.

My own mother (I love you, Mom!) was glued to the news report last night when I visited my parents.  Do I blame her?  No.  However when every single person I run into wants to talk about it, I get a little overwhelmed.   We don’t need a psychological breakdown of the killer, we don’t need gun control nuts yelling in the streets, we don’t need parents blaming the police, we don’t need 24 hour coverage.  We need something unprecedented:

A moment of silence the likes of which America has never seen.

We need for the community to open its arms to hold the victims, and we need the outside world to BACK OFF.  Reporters, newspapers, television cameras, even the average person on the street needs to drop it for just a day or two.  Give these people a chance to heal.  I refuse to believe that crying on camera for CNN is part of the healing process.

In about a week and a half, the news media will say something like this: “but now . . . life continues.”

They should be saying it now.  Life goes on.  Painfully – sometimes unbearably so – but life DOES go on.  Should Texas Tech students be spending every spare moment of their day discussing what happened at VA Tech?  No.  They should be studying for tests, playing games, sitting in the Student Union typing inane blog posts like this one.

I grieve for those victims, and out of respect, I allow them the space to heal.

If you don’t get the title, you need to listen to Disciple.

Ugh.

A whole month without a post.

Can you tell I’ve been busy?  Now that I actually have time to post, I’m so apathetic that I’m actually going to waste the time posting about how apathetic and down I feel.  I’m not really depressed, just a profound sense of unproductive.  I think I’m going to go play something on XBOX to cheer me up.  Maybe work on some artwork or something.

You know . . . I’m kind of amazed at some people.  Okay, lots of people.

Recently we had a couple of evangelists on campus.  Now, I respect what they are doing, and am glad to see someone spreading the Word.  However, when I got a chance to sit and listen to them, I began to notice something.  Or rather, I began to notice a lack of something.  These people spoke out on sin and action.  They spent 30 minutes going on about how many things are a sin.  They pointed fingers and called people on the carpet.

Were they right?  Yeah, probably.

But what was missing from everything they were doing?

Love.

I sat and listened while they told every student that crossed their paths that the student was a sinner and going to hell.  They even tried it on me.  I looked him right in the face and said “No, I’m not.  I’m redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.”

Instead of rejoicing at finding a brother in Christ, these guys proceeded to try to convince me that I was still going to hell.

I beg your pardon?

This is when I got kinda peeved and decided to talk to them.  For some 15 minutes we chatted and I fell back on the only support I had: scripture.  These evangelists went on and on about things like “A lying tongue is full of hate” and other such definitions of sin.  Okay, that’s fine but why am I going to hell if I believe?  Their explanation: if you believed, you would be doing something about the sin in the world, and you are just standing there.

Of all the self-righteous things I’ve ever heard.

“This is how they shall know you are my disciples, that you love one another.”

Interesting that this doesn’t apply to those who are attempting to attend class and live a life.  God does not call us to proselytize, but to love.  We are to serve and love others.  Are we to speak truth?  Yes.  But seriously, since when are we to be militant about it?  Didn’t Christ himself describe Christian action?

“I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was hungry and you gave me food, I was naked and you clothed me . . . whatever you do to the least of these, you have done unto me.”

I seem to remember Christ getting pretty irate when pious gasbags attempted to preach at him.  In fact didn’t he call the religious leaders of the time “vipers”?

“I tell you, the axe is already laid at the root of the tree.”

Somehow, this sort of action doesn’t seem to communicate Christ to me.  It screams “religion,” but doesn’t even whisper “faith.”

The reason I talk about these guys is because it struck me that people like this are why Christians aren’t treated well when we attempt to speak our faith.  We are hit with statements like “don’t force your beliefs on me.”

It’s okay for an atheist to stand up and rail on the non-existence of God and quote Nietzche left and right.  But when someone stands up for God and quotes Jesus Christ, it turns into a screaming fit of people who claim we are forcing a belief system on them.

Whatever happened to freedom of speech on BOTH sides?

Also, does anybody else find it interesting that people will come up with the WILDEST concepts to insure that God can’t enter the equation?  For evidence of this, look at some of the theories of cosmology like rapid expansion and infinite past.  They’re mathematically and logically unsound and infinitely improbable, and yet people cling to them because they don’t like the ramifications of the alternative.  Notice that those who rail against creation aren’t afraid of the ramifications of Darwinism being wrong, they are afraid of what goes along with creation, which is an authority above our own.

Okay, enough rambling.

No, not me.

I’ve been sick the past few days and last night I was on Amazon digging through the DVDs (it’s been a while since I’ve gone DVD shopping, and I’m a little behind the curve).  Well, I discovered that Mel Gibson has FINALLY released the definitive edition of The Passion of the Christ.  No I am not going to rag on Mel Gibson.  Frankly, I think he’s a man who has many problems but is still genuine in his faith.  Does he stumble?  Yes.  Don’t we all?

The thing that bothered me was one of the reviews of the DVD.  A customer of Amazon (without having bothered to even view the product) went on a tirade about how Jesus wouldn’t want us to purchase this product!  He made claims like “Jesus would be horrified by this” and other such self-indulgent CRAP.

Let’s think about this very seriously.

The Passion of the Christ was a ministering tool, yes.  However it was also a movie.  No one EVER said that something done for the glory of God can’t also make money!  People get angry at Mel Gibson because he’s making money off the new version.  So basically . . . ANY artist who does something as a witness piece is not allowed to sell it?  What a load!  God wants us to use that which has been given us (as exampled in Jesus’ parable of the talents).  Wouldn’t the production of a DVD fall under that category?  Why is it that we gripe about The Passion of the Christ being re-released in a two disc version (which I fully intend to buy) but not even blink when Ben Hur is released in a four disc version.

I know, I know, a lot of people are going to look at me and go: “Ben Hur?  What does that have to do with Jesus?”

If you’ve ever actually taken the time to read the book by Lew Wallace, you’d know that the full title is “Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ”.

Back to the point though.  Why is it that too many Christians get bent out of shape when it comes to making money?  And even more so when Jesus gets involved?  I guarantee you, these are the same people who hissed at Peyton Manning when he gave credit to Christ after the playoffs.  Why?  God never once said that he wanted Christians to live in poverty, or have to live paycheck to paycheck.  “The LOVE of money is A root of all kinds of evil.”  Emphasis mine.  This does not say “MONEY is THE root of all evil.”

C’mon guys!  Let an artist create!  At least he’s doing something.  How many of us can say the same?

So I’m sitting in the Student Union between classes and a group of freshmen sits down at a table some 10 feet away from me.  Now . . . I’m already feeling old because most of the occupants of the Student Union Building are younger than me, but suddenly they got into a fairly loud discussion of politics and such.

Now I feel like the old man who listens to popular opinion and is appalled by what he hears.

Seriously though, in listening to their conversation, I heard reference to how much the government sucks, how Mein Kampf was a fascinating read, and even how LBJ may have been behind Kennedy’s death.

Okay . . . when did Oliver Stone get ahold of these kids?!?

I swear, these kids are too young to have formulated a valid personal opinion and are spewing what they’ve heard their parents say.  Now, I’m not saying that I’m allowed a personal opinion yet either, since I have only a few years experience on them, but for the love of Pete . . . LBJ ordered Kennedy’s death?  Come on!  Who are we allowing to shape our kids?

Apparently, Adolf Hitler.

The thing that really irked me about the whole thing is that these kids sat there and said “someone should do something about the corruption in our government.”  You’re right, someone should, and when something is done, the people who should be held accountable for having allowed it to progress are the people who sit around saying something should be done and don’t actually do anything.

I know it’s kind of cliche, but if you can’t walk the walk, don’t talk the talk.

Okay . . . so I stopped off at the men’s room in the Agricultural Sciences building today before class to take care of some business, and I discovered something . . . well . . . creepy.  Whoever designed this restroom has no brain.  First off – there are no privacy barriers between the toilets.  Men can attest to the fact that it’s a little unnerving when this happens but no big deal.  Now . . . there is a massive window in there to let in natural light.  This window is positioned such that any man in there would be . . . easily visible.  Now, clearly the designer intended this window to be translucent, letting light through, but it would be impossible to view anything through it.

Some genius put transparent panes in it.  Which means that the men’s room is basically a peep show waiting to happen – the window is eye level with the outside world, about 6 feet tall and 4.5 feet wide.  Now, if someone were to make this mistake in a women’s room or a girls’ locker room, there would be a national inquiry.  Yet, this window has been like this for I don’t know how long (the glass is pretty old).

Nothing I like better than trying to perform a private act in full view of the public.

Have these people lost their minds?

Hey guys, sorry I haven’t written a post in a little while.  It’s been a really really crazy couple of weeks.  Just an update.

A few days ago it was decided that I will NOT be attending ConnectiCon this year.  As much as I’d love to, I can’t afford it this year.  Oh well, there will always be other cons.

I’m hanging in there as far as classes go.  So far, so good – although Numerical Analysis is trying to get to me.  It’s doing a pretty good job.  Don’t worry though, I’m doing better.

Hope everyone is having a great day!

Well, it’s been a week since my days started going downhill.  Fortunately, all things come to pass (be they good or otherwise).  I’m finally starting to feel a little less melancholy.  I still have a lot to work out, but I’ve been finding myself enjoying the simple act of doing stuff.  I sat down to sketch for the heck of it and had fun.  Instead of it being a chore or a job, it was fun.  Now I’m enjoying a chess-by-correspondence match with a friend in Dallas (who I miss and really wish he was still in town so we could play HALO together.  And by play, I mean I’d beat the ever-loving tar out of him).  It’s an interesting concept.

I also happened to challenge my dad to a game.  Haven’t played with him in years.  We’ll see if he’s got time though, he’s a busy man.  Oh, and Dad, if you’re reading this – check your email for the invite. 

If anyone is interested in something like that, the website is http://www.redhotpawn.com