i have a lot of books to talk about, but i’m only going to talk about one right now… and i have a lot of music to talk about, but that’s going to wait… and i have the first week of football to talk about, but i’ll get to that later today (i hope)… i do think i’ll pick the Saints to beat the Viking this week though (har har)… anyway, first things first… a quick take on a new book from a familiar name…

now playing: Live Like We’re Dying by Kris Allen

Outlive Your Life – Max Lucado

i think it was Maximus Something-or-Other who, in the movie Gladiator, said something to this effect: “Our actions on earth, echo in eternity”… as you can probably tell, i’m not the biggest fan of the movie, but the quote stuck with me… and it came back to me over and over again as i read through the latest book from Max Lucado… (and not because of the Max-Maximus similarity)… Outlive Your Life suggests that we can life our lives in such a way as to have impact on generations to come, long after we’ve passed on to eternity… the book opens with a short tale of one man’s lasting impact on a thriving, but uncharted island and unfolds to reveal simple actions to help mold our lives into an influential legacy…

As with all Lucado books – he is pretty much a brand name at this point – the book is inspiring, easy to read, and filled with nuggets of wisdom, insights from everyday encounters (like coming home from the grocery store with bags full of food), but not the needed bread that inspired the trip… it’s all very practical and attainable goals, such as coming out of your shell, treating others with equal respect, and stand up for those in need… and, with a conversational tone, it reads quickly and enjoyably… one thing i found odd though… the opening “fable” described a thriving island near to an island full of despair, poverty, and hopelessness (i suppose similar to Haiti and the Dominican Republic)… it would’ve made sense to wrap that around at the end of the book to explain the responsibility of wealth and the compassion the prosperous should show to those in need as that was the point of the book…

anyway, it’s another good piece of advice from an author who clearly sees things from a unique perspective… a fun read…

peace… love… bdg…

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i’ve still got a rundown of LOST coming, as well as, some more thoughts and theories on the way, but i’m taking this brief respit to continue on with the mashed potatoes…

before i grab a spoon and dig in, though, i’m sure you’re wondering about the main site… i mean, it’s been “under construction” for a while now, right?… well, here’s the thing… i started out with a plan… i had a new design sketched out in my head, on a pad of paper and was pretty sure that it was ready to build out… then i got a new idea… so, i sketched that out… then… a newer new idea… and so it goes… the good news is, i’m set on a design now, and i’ve begun the actual process of making it work… (fans of theTRu on facebook can actually catch a glimpse of the new look)… there’s still a bit of heavy lifting to be done, and then some fine-tuning, but it’s motion… progress even…

and now back to the mash… so far, we’ve already talked about books and movies and music and television, which leaves us with… “more”… yeah, it’s a broad topic and it pretty much encompasses absolutely anything that crosses my mind and/or holds my attention… it’s kind of a wildcard category, so you never know what you’ll get, but it rounds out the full experience of entertainment onslaught… this week, it’s all about podcasts…

i think i’ve made it pretty clear in the past that i enjoy listening to the Steelehouse Podcast each week and the Tony Kornheiser Show each weekday, but below are three more that i have been listening to a lot as well and the time has come to speak openly about them…

GET FREAKY WITH IT

now playing: Super Freak – Rick James

I haven’t read Freakonomics or Super Freakonomics… i’m not an economist… and i’m not generally the type of guy who gets excited about – or even sits down to watch documentaries… but, i saw Steven Levitt on the Colbert Report some time ago, and i’ve wanted to read the aforementioned books… unfortunately, i’ve never gotten around to it… BUT… i feel a little better about myself now that i’ve discovered the Freakonomics Radio Podcast…

Though tragically infrequent, the Freakonomics podcast always hits you with a little less than a half hour of compelling and thoughtfully provocative content from a perspective that’s most likely significantly different than your own… the tagline, “exploring the hidden side of everything,” is quite fitting as they tackle topics that are familiar, but provide opinions that are steeped in economic theory with no regard for popular beliefs… generally a fascinating discussion that’s not at all as nerdy as it may seem…

So far, there have been three full episodes (and three short teasers) and the third one introduced a handful of commercials, but it was still a fun listen…

TASTE THE RAINBOW

now playing: Rainbow – Colbie Caillat

this one’s not as new, but it is also an infrequent podcast – especially now that one of the three voices moved several states away… of course, i’m talking about Skittle Sandwich – two DJs and a musician chewing the fat for about an hour each… month?… i’ve been listening to this podcast since its inception which was about a year and a half ago and by now, i feel somewhat invested in it…

the trio of Dice, Matt, and Sara sit down and talk about life, music, and pop culture – three things i can hardly get enough of – and, perhaps the highlights are the many, many times when the conversation is derailed and rabbit-trailed… just like life… aparently it’s not always safe for the younger ears, but i’ve enjoyed the ride thus far and look forward to hearing it each month (or so)…

DON’T SHAVE EVER… DUDE

now playing: Dharma Lady – Geronimo Jackson

the last podcast is frequent, but fleeting… and it’s all about LOST… specifically an episode by episode look at the show, through the eyes of Jorge (a.k.a. “Hurley”) and “Sidekick22″… this is, Geronimo Jack’s Beard… the cool thing about this podcast is that most of the episodes were recorded over the summer as they recieved the script and their thoughts are based on what’s written in the script… And a good bit of that changes by the time the episode is filmed and edited… So, its
an insider look at each episode and the more recent episodes have bookended the original conversation with emails and comments from the current week… the downside is that when LOST is over… this is probably over as well… but while it’s here, it’s definitely worth checking out…

AND WITH THAT…

and speaking of checking out… i must bid you all adieu… Do you listen to these podcasts? other podcasts? what did i miss?… back later with LOST and more…

peace… love… bdg…

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i’m interrupting this regularly unscheduled laziness to bring you this update… finally… it’s been quite a while since i last wrote something for the old blog… i can’t explain it entirely, but i’ve just been pulled in a number of directions and unfortunately can’t seem to motivate myself to the point of updating… anyway, i’m here to put an end to that… today, i’m going to have some fun, chatting up the latest installment from Veggietales available everywhere…

IT’S RAINING…

now playing: Flood – Jars of Clay

Well, it’s been a long time coming and it’s finally here… the sequel to Minnesota Cuke’s search for Samson’s hairbrush… and perhaps a tip of the fedora to a new branch of the Veggietales franchise?… (I’m thinking that a 2D series of Minnesota Cuke episodes wouldn’t be a bad idea)… this episode also marks the official debut of the new Veggietales logo… both are hits…

Minnesota learns about persistence, patience and most of all, the importance of following directions in this zany tale of Larry’s alter-ego and his quest to find the powerful umbrella used by none other than Noah… of course, there’s plenty of mischief, mayhem, and missteps (not to mention the numerous nods to Indy) that make the show fun for kids and parents alike…

…RUN FOR COVER

And with that, i’ll grab my sippy cup and head on out… i’ve got another new Veggietale movie queued up in the near future… but it’s about Christmas and i’m not sure when i’ll get to that… also, watch for a “political” blog entry, a “Triple-DeKker” entry, and more… many more books and many more other stuff… also, i’m completely redesigning the site… and much, much more is spinning around in my head…

peace… love… bdg…

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just a quick heads up… i posted a Walk TRu for the remix album of Dance or Die by Family Force 5… below is a widget full of 30-second previews of all the tracks…

peace… love… bdg…

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EDIT: i started writing this entry sometime last week, but was interrupted a number of times, most notably when this laptop took a header… fortunately, all the files were recoverable and i’m back up and running… most of the way…

so, i’ve had two pairs of shoes and a number of socks betray me over the last few weeks… given these shoes were 17 and 11 years old, respectively, but it’s still a sad experience for me… on top of that, a third pair is hissing at me with each step, threatening the same course of action… this may seem petty, but i really like these shoes… what am i to do?

anyway, time to dig deep and try to get some writing done… this may be a long one, kiddos, so buckle up and let’s ride…

THE NEWEST AND BESTEST

now playing: Never Gonna Be As Big As Jesus – Audio Adrenaline

the most exciting news that i have to share is that of the recent releaseof the new issue of theTRu.print… that’s right, it wasn’t just a one-time thing that i did for Christmas… it’s going to be an on-going, regular thing to look forward to…

this second issue includes the same features as the first one (Left to Write, Both Sides, Album Reviews, iTRunes Playlist, etc) as well as a few other items including a feature on HOUSE, the movie and the book, and an article about John Waller… all this and it’s free, too… just head over to theTRu and download the pdf and you’re good to go… also, if you want to advertise in the next issue, get in touch with me and we’ll work something out…

YO-YO MATT

now playing: Mad Season – Matchbox 20

well, to be quick about this – since there’s a new episode on tonight and i’m sure that i’ll be long-winded about it a little later – America finally got it right by booting Matt5 off the show… unfortunately the producers and the judges love him and decided to save him, giving him another chance to ruin a perfectly good radio single… i’m not sure why they like him so much, but i’ll predict that he and Anoop bite the dust tomorrow with Lil hanging on by singing a Donna Summers tune for Disco Night tonight… (of course, that may change after i watch tonight’s show, but that’s my preliminary picks)…

WHO’S THE LOST?

now playing: Mad Season – Matchbox 20

and now it’s time for a brief look at the latest episode of Lost… it’s gonna be rough with no new episode on this week, but i’m sure we’ll manage somehow… anyway…

episode 5.13 (love that number): Some Like It Hoth… a Miles-centric storyline which immediately makes it interesting… Miles has taken over as the sarcastic and sharp-tongued character to balance out Sawyer’s maturation process and his scenes have quickly become some of my favorites… especially when he’s bantering back and forth with Hurley who has quite the grasp on wit as well…

so the episode opens with a flashback of Miles as a young boy with his mother… both have seemingly been abandoned by his father – who we earlier expected and later are assured is none other than Dr. Chang… we learn that Miles has always had this unique ability to read dead minds and that it troubles him… we also see him in a troubling 80′s-era punk outfit and hairstyle…

Meanwhile, back on the island, Miles gets recruited into the circle of trust, earning him the honor of transporting a cadaver from what will become “the hatch” and what will become the Orchid… of course, Miles wants to know what happened and he finds out that a filling from his tooth shot through his head, killing him… initially, i thought this meant that someone shot him, but then it dawned on me that the magnetic source of the hatch’s power could easily pull someone’s metal filling out of their tooth and react in such a manner…

anyway, Hurley manages to tag along, break into the circle of trust, and meddle with the relationship between Miles and Chang… perhaps the most interesting item from the episode for me was during the polar bear poop exchange between Chang and Hurley… Chang refers to the experiments on that part of the Dharma initiative as “ridiculous”… i’m getting a sense that Chang is so obsessed with this magnetic research – and apparently time travel if he’s gotten that far in his studies – that it will consume him, causing a rift between him and his family, him and the rest of the Dharma Initiative, him and the others and, most consequentially, him and the island…

ADIOS

with that, i’ll head off for now, the weather is nice and warm, and it’s a good time to go hide out in the basement to try and get cooled off… i’ll be back later for Idol, more TV talk, and some book reviews…

peace… love… bdg…

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yep, so i promised to come back and chatter about Heroes… i DID watch the episode today, but i got sidetracked with a bundle of other things, so the entry “Back or BLECH?” will have to wait… i will say that i’m staying with the show for a few more episodes if that tips my hand at all…

I’ll also say that Sawyer jumping into the well was one of the best LOST moments of all five seasons so far and, even though i said i wouldn’t get into theories, and even though i can see a lot of arguments against what i’m about to say, i think we just witnessed the birth of Jacob… i’ll talk more about that later…

Also coming soon, another book review (the one about the lions), a shout out to Burn Notice as it leaves the air for a while, a glance at a handful of mid-season shows coming into view this month or next (or last), and some other nifty things… for now though, check out the front page to see a fairly new (about a week old) In RE:TRuSPECT and two-parts of a four-part series that discusses the Dove nominees… i’m sure that more will be coming there soon too, but i’m somewhat preoccupied…

’til later… goodbye to you and good riddance to T.O….

peace… love… bdg…

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one day left in the year 2008… and i’ve kind of been coasting to the finish line… i have things to write about i’m sure, but i’m still kind of in cruise mode… we traded illnesses over the last few weeks and i’m still a little bit beat… fortunately, i’ve got an oasis of time off here in the middle of the week and maybe i’ll get some stuff done during that time… (or maybe i’ll just play some golf on the wii)… anyway, here’s a book review and some chatter about that last post of mine…

WE WANT… THE TRUTH!!!
- to the tune of What I Like About You – Everlife

My biggest qualm about this book is the packaging. It’s a big block of a book with compartments built in for the notepad (er, reMemo pad) and the DVD, but the text itself is dwarfed in all this cardboard. I’d have much rather seen the book come out of the packaging as a separate entity as well, but that’s just my preference i suppose.

Cracking into the shiny silver packaging and digging into the actual book, though, i found it to be full of interesting tidbits, thoughts, suggestions, and ideas worthwhile for the hearing. A tad repetitious and playing simply to common sense, but definitely a thoughtful topic and one I’ve been working through personally over the last few months, so it was very timely in that regard.

It doesn’t tell you what to do with your life, but it does help you realize whether or not you’re doing what you should be doing if you hope to maximize your potential and actually (*gasp*) enjoy your work.

There are a lot of books on this topic and many of them have similar advice to offer, but this book – with the accompanying DVD – stands out a little bit in my mind. Seems to make more practical sense than, say, The Dip.

PUT THAT IN WRITING
- to the tune of Absolute – Thousand Foot Krutch

so, if you didn’t catch the gist, theTRu.print is a brand spankin’ new concept that is going to become a recurring theme… i originally came up with the idea of making my own mini-magazine way back before i was able to do any writing in actual magazines… then, the idea kind of got lost in the mix of writing for HM, taking over the helm at CMCentral and later writing for CCM… since all that’s gone bust for the most part (and i’m pretty much finished with my pity party), i’m back to square one and hey, i can do my own little mini magazine again…

So this first issue, a Christmas issue, was the introduction to what will be something that you’ll see more of in the coming year… i’m already planning the second issue, but i’m not sure if i’ll shoot for a January or a Jan/Feb deadline… i don’t want to overcommit my resources, but i also don’t want to ease up on the throttle unnecessarily because i fear that i’ll just let time and opportunity get away from me… what i want to see is for this to be a supplemental piece to theTRu that can also include advertising and maybe generate a little pocket change…

thanks to everyone who has given me feedback on the first issue, i’m taking it all into account and am excited about slowly progressing this new addition to theTRu… if you have thoughts or ideas as to what i should cover in the next issue, or if you’re interested in advertising, get in touch with me directly and we’ll see what we can see… ads will be pretty cheap to start, believe you me…

WHAT’S MORE

i’m going to try to finish up some more of the 25 or Less features, buzzing through the months of 2008 and touching on all the albums that i got my ears around as well as a few other features and such to help keep the site looking balanced and fresh… and in the distant future will be some Year in RE:TRu pieces… yee ha…

peace… love… bdg…

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(click the cover and it should download a PDF of this grand new mini-magazine)…

peace… love… bdg…

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A few things off the top… and speaking of the top, check out the new header… it may change again as i continue to tweak a few things and act out my discontent with the way things are… also, Happy Birthday Billy Graham… the honorably Reverend turned 90 today and to celebrate, i posted a walk TRu based on the soundtrack of the new movie Billy: The Early Years, which unfortunately didn’t long enough in the theaters to be showing today…

also, i noticed some bumper stickers this morning asking to impeach Obama… come on, at least give the guy a chance to prove himself… i’m sure that we won’t agree on all (maybe not any) of his policies and actions as President, but good grief… let’s not be petty about it… if you really care about it, make sure you participate more in the political realm next time around… help campaign, spread the word, whatever… don’t start acting disrespectful and rude… let’s be bigger than that… i firmly believe that partisanship is crucial during the election cycle, but once the votes are counted, we’re all simply Americans… we may have disagreements and differing opinions about how best to run the nation, but we need to address those differences appropriately and work together for the good of the country…

okay, i’m off the soapbox and i’m going to head to bed… tomorrow i’m heading to see the Veggietales live show and perhaps i’ll take a crack at a book or two…

peace… love… bdg…

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okay, now i’m ready for some football… hopefully you are too… let’s get to it…

SPORTS: WEEK NINE

to the tune of Cruella De Vil – Hayden Panettiere

Oh… i blew it with my picks last week… i was cringing at the sight of the scoreboards all day… and when it was all said and done, i ended up with my first losing record for the season… 6-8… bummer… the totals are now 66-50… at least my streaks are still in tact for both fantasay leagues… i think i’ve got a shot at another strong finish…

anyway… the winners this week (i promise this time, but don’t bet and blame me) are as follows:

Bills, Bears, Jaguars, Ravens, Bucs, Texans, Cards, Packers, Broncos, Giants, Falcons, Eagles, Colts, Redskins…

and that’s all that i have time for…

DON’T FORGET

two new items up for peeping… a new Left to Write that actually talks a bit about elections and such… and a new 25 Words or Less that covers ten albums that released in February as i continue to try and dig out of the reviews hole that i put myself in… as always… more later…

peace… love… bdg…

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