I mentioned in one of my recent posts that I had a baby on the way. Well, she's here and I would like to introduce you to Chloe May Lewis:
She was born on February 2, 2012. Groundhog's Day! Which is also my mother's birthday. She weighed in at 6 lbs. 13 oz. and was 19 1/2 in. long. I can't even begin to describe what it's like to become a father. Now I know I've already been trying to be a father-figure to my stepson Gabe for the past three years and in some ways I've already felt like a dad, but watching my daughter being born was indescribable. I feel like I was instantly changed. I guess it just feels more official now, and I hope I can be even more of a father-figure now to both Chloe and Gabe. I feel so much more connected to my new family.
We didn't know if our baby was going to be a boy or girl until she was born. The last ultrasound we had was supposed to reveal the gender, but she was in a position that prevented us from knowing. At first we wanted to know if the baby was going to be a boy or a girl, but when we couldn't find out, it became fun knowing it was going to be a surprise.
It seems so funny, but I could just spend a whole day just holding her and looking at her, watching all the funny faces she makes. I never understood before when people would say "Couldn't you just eat her up?" until I had one of my own. My friend Jesse gave me a book called "The Expectant Father" by Armin A. Brott. That is an awesome name by the way. In the book there is a section on unconditional love. In it he says:
Sooner or later every writer tries to take a crack at trying to describe love. And for the most part, they fall short. But there's a line in Maurice Sendak's classic children's book 'Where the Wild Things Are' that captures the feeling of loving one's own child exactly: 'Please don't go—we'll eat you up—we love you so.' As crazy as it may sound, that's precisely what my love for my daughters feels like to me. Whether we're playing, reading a book, telling each other about our days, or I'm just gazing at their smooth, peaceful faces as they sleep, all of a sudden I'll be overcome with the desire to pick them up, mush them into tiny balls, and pop them in my mouth.
I don't know about mushing my daughter into a tiny ball and putting her in my mouth, but I understand now why people use the phrase "Couldn't you just eat her up?" I do get the urge to gnaw on her from time to time. In fact my wife made the observation that her toes look like tic tacs. So we've been calling them her tic-tac-toes.
So this brings us up to date on where I am in life. I still have so many things to share about the last couple of years that I was away from this blog. My wedding, our honeymoon in Jamaica and a few jobs that I've had over the past couple years as well. So look for more of my "Work, work, work" editions of this blog. Here's a few more pictures of Chloe to wrap up this post. Enjoy!
So, here we are. This blog has been dead for almost two years and now this website is rising up from its grave-site. So I think my first post should be about the living dead. That's right, ZOMBIES! For quite a few years I have been intrigued by the whole Zombie-craze that's been going on. Growing up, I hated horror films. My family would watch them as I sat on the couch covering my eyes with my hands repeatedly saying "Tell me when it's safe to look." But as I got older I started to enjoy horror films. And the ones that I thought were the scariest and most entertaining were zombie films. I've watched quite a few of them and believe me, there are just as many horrible zombie films as there are good ones. I guess for me what makes zombies so scary is the fact that anyone could become one. You, a loved one, uncle Bob. (Yes, I know zombies aren't real just for the record...or are they?) So it's not so much the blood and gore part of zombie films I find scary, but it's scary in a psychological sense that anyone could become one. It would be difficult to kill a monster that was once your mother, father, brother, sister, spouse, or your best friend. And it would be difficult to know that this thing that used to be a loved one is now emotionless and wants to eat you alive.
I guess my fascination with zombies started back in the mid to late 90's when CAPCOM released the horror survival game: Resident Evil. By the time this came out, I had gotten over my fear of horror films, but this was a whole new ball game. How many of you who have played this game almost jumped through the ceiling while playing? I know I have, and I still do. There's something about playing a survival horror game that immerses you into the story more than a film can. It wasn't until many years later though that I started getting into the whole zombie phenomenon.
After watching a handful or two of zombie films, I decided to watch the original 1968 film "Night of the Living Dead" by George A. Romero. I don't usually like to watch movies that are older than me, but I was pleasantly surprised by how good this movie is. By today's standards it's pretty tame, but considering the time in which it came out, even I was shocked at some of the imagery. The movie caused some controversy when it was released. This film was released just before the MPAA rating system was put in place so kids were not prohibited from seeing this film. Even though the film was controversial and heavily criticized it was eventually selected by the Library of Congress for preservation into the National Film Registry as a film deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant". Other film by Romero include: Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Land of the Dead, Diary of the Dead and Survival of the Dead.
Romero never actually referred to the Living Dead as "zombies". The term zombie actually comes from Haitian religion. It means an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means, such as witchcraft. But in today's terms the word zombie refers to an undead race in horror fiction.
Zombie Rules
Max Brooks, the son of actor/director/funny man Mel Brooks, wrote "The Zombie Survival Guide". I haven't read it yet, but I hope to someday as well as his other book "World War Z". So there are some rules about Zombies I'd like to talk about now. I think when movies, video games, and other zombie related things follow these guidelines, it make it a more enjoyable experience for me. I tend to prefer Romero's Zombies/Living Dead. The slow, lumbering ones that aren't extremely hard to deal with, but when in large hordes, become unstoppable. I don't like the fast moving Zombies that can run and climb walls and seem to have almost super-human strength. Zombies should have no more strength than that of their former self minus the sensitivity to pain. Whether zombies actually feel pain or not, it doesn't seem to bother them or slow them down.
We'll break this part down into categories.
How does one become a zombie?
Initially, I don't really have a preference on how zombies first come about, whether it's from radiation, a virus, or top secret government laboratory testing. But as the zombie invasion grows, how do others become zombies? Anyone who is bitten, scratched, or gets any kind of bodily fluid in their system from a zombie is bound to become one.
How long does it take to become a zombie?
Again, I don't have a preference on time. I think anywhere from a day to three days is an acceptable time. It should never be instant. Also the infected person would also notice changes as they are turning. They would slowly fade away, as the person becomes something entirely different than they were in their former life.
The Zombie lifestyle
Actually, zombies don't have much of a sense of style, or life for that matter. The only thing that keeps a zombie going is the need for food. They are very picky eaters and only enjoy the freshest meat, preferably the kind that tries to run away. Fast food, in a sense. This is why you don't see zombies eating each other and it's also how they know the difference between themselves and the living. Zombies seem to travel in large groups but I don't think it's because they enjoy socializing, I think it's just because they all happen to be in the same area at the same time. They all move together as a group because they are all driven by the same thing. Zombies are devoid of any personality and only resemble of what they once were. Whereas the basic daily routine of a person is eat, sleep, poop, the routine of a zombie is eat and then walk around until it finds something else to eat. Zombies never sit around after a big meal and think to themselves, "I can't believe I ate the whole thing" or "I'm never eating again." Some of them don't even have a stomach to fill, but it doesn't slow down their appetite. Also, zombies do not say "BRAINS!" they have no vocabulary other then moans and groans.
Zombie Movement
Zombies have poor motor function because for the most part they are dead. Rigor mortis has set in, as well as body decay. Just about anyone could out-run a zombie, but that zombie never gets tired which gives it unlimited endurance to keep moving without ever resting. Because of their slowness and quietness, they are able to sometimes sneak up on unsuspecting victims. But this isn't a strategic zombie tactic, it's just their nature and it works to their advantage.
Getting rid of zombies
Unfortunately there are no zombie extermination services as of yet, but we should really prepare ahead of time. So how do you kill something that's already dead? Zombies are dependent on their brains which have been reanimated. So, destroy the brain and the zombie is no longer a problem.
Well, that is a summary of "zombie rules". Click here for a more extensive look at the rules.
Zombie Films
Like I said before, there are just as many bad zombie films as there are good ones. I'm going to talk about some films now and explain why I think they are good, bad or don't quite fit the category of a zombie film in my opinion.
Let's start with the good:
George A. Romero's films. I've only seen "Night of the Living Dead" and "Dawn of the Dead". I have yet to see his other films, but I am looking forward to watching the other ones.
I've only seen the first three of the "Return of the Living Dead" films. I don't agree with a lot of what goes on in these movies such as talking zombies and severed body parts that still move, but I actually enjoy these movies because they're so ridiculous and funny.
Speaking of funny, I think the best Zombie comedy has to be "Shaun of the Dead" with Simon Pegg. There was also another zomcom (I just made up a new term!) called "Last of the Living" which was filmed in New Zealand. This one wasn't too bad either.
The Resident Evil series also gets a thumbs up. Movies based on video games usually have nothing to do with the game, but this one does pretty well, even though some of the characters in the movies aren't portrayed the same way they are in the game. I wish they would have left the game characters out of the movies altogether. I have yet to see the fourth installment in this series.
Here are some bad zombie films:
Zombie Honeymoon was horrible. It could have been good, but the movie kept going back and forth between being a comedy to being a drama and it just ended up becoming a flop.
Aaah! Zombies is another zombie comedy that gets a thumbs down in my book. It was an interesting concept, but they just went the wrong way with it. Four friends become zombies, but they don't realize it. To each other, they look normal. But to other people they look like zombies, except for drunk people who see them as normal. Yea...stupid.
The Horde is a French zombie film. Sure, it's action packed, but it lacks plot.
Day of the Dead, no, not the George A. Romero version, but the remake by Steve Miner. It wasn't absolutely horrible, but there is a brief scene where a zombie quickly crawls up the wall and then on the ceiling. It ruined it for me.
Films that don't quite fit the zombie category for me:
28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later are great movies, don't get me wrong. They just miss the criteria for being zombie films though. Rather than being driven by hunger they are driven by the rage virus which causes them to violently attack anyone who is not infected.
I am Legend is another great movie and the novel of the same name by Richard Matheson is what inspired George A. Romero to write and direct "Night of the Living Dead". But again, the creatures in this film are able to think and crawl up walls, so it doesn't work for me as a zombie film.
The Passion of the Christ is also not a zombie film. Sure, Jesus comes back from the dead, but with a much greater purpose than eating people. Jesus comes back to share a message of hope, love and peace and encourages us all to do the same which is contrary to what a zombie would do.
The next thing I want to talk about are other zombie-ish things I am into right now.
"The Walking Dead" series on AMC is probably one of the best things on TV right now. I've been keeping up with it online since we don't have cable right now. The first season is on Netflix if you're interested. Not only is The Walking Dead one of the more graphic and gruesome shows I've ever seen, it also has a great story line. I've heard people say they're not really into zombie related stuff, but because of this show's great story line, they watch it. In fact the end of the last episode I watched left me speechless, I won't spoil it for you, but it was the episode from season 2 titled "Pretty Much Dead Already".
"We're Alive" is an audio podcast I listen to on iTunes. It's just like the old radio dramas from the old days, only newer. Great voice acting and great sound effects are all that's needed for you to visualize what is going on. This is great for those long car rides. Just don't listen and drive if you are too jumpy. Listen with caution.
"Plants vs. Zombies" is a really fun game. I have it on my mac and my stepson has it on his Nintendo DSi. In this game you defend yourself from attacking hordes of zombies by planting various plants in your yard. The plants have the ability to fight off the waves of zombies that try to invade your house. It's a very light-hearted and comical game. To get an idea of how fun this game is, watch the video below.
Here is the music video from the game as well.
I think I'll wrap up this post now, it's gone on long enough. I'll leave you now with part of a little project I've been working on. I used to draw comics in study hall back in high school and I miss doing that, so I decided to start up again. I just happened to make a zombie related comic. Enjoy!
Wow, that was a long break from blogging. I guess I just ran out of things to say. But much has happened in the past two years. To sum it up I've gotten married, moved twice and have had three, maybe four jobs...and oh yea, I've got a baby on the way in about a month, give or take. I'm not so sure what made me want to start blogging again and I don't quite know what made me stop in the first place. I'm not sure how often I'll be posting especially with a little bundle of joy on the way. I imagine a lot of my time will be spent with the little one. But I've been wanting to get back into doing this for some time now. So I would like to officially announce that Blogity-blah-blah-blog is back!
What's even more exciting is that something else I love is back. Five Iron Frenzy! FFIF is back, yes that's right, Freakin' Five Iron Frenzy! Go listen to their new single here.
Tuesday morning started out just like any other normal day. I usually help out by taking Gabe to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays to help April out since she has to go to work earlier than normal on those days. I also had to go to Paris Uniforms to take a drug test before I could begin my new job (read my last post about my new job) Sounds simple enough, right? Wrong! I think they should rename Murphy's law to Lewis's law.Here's how it all went down: As I got ready to take Gabe to school I realized that I had locked my keys in the car the night before. I had used my air compressor to inflate Gabe's basketball and his bike tires. No problem though, I had a spare key in my wallet so I used that to open the car doors. Then I go to turn the key that's already in the ignition to find out that the key had been in the "on" position all night. The car's engine wasn't on, but the key was turned just enough to use up the battery. So I called April to let her know what was going on. She told me Gabe had a field trip that they had to leave for at 9:15am and it was already 8:40am...AHHHHHHH!
Fortunately, my friends Jesse and Natalie live close by. So Gabe and I walked to their house. Natalie opened the door after just waking up and offered us a ride to Gabe's preschool. As we neared the pre-school, I came to the realization that I left Gabe's backpack in my car which contained the money and permission slip for the field trip...AHHHHHHH!
Fortunately, Gabe's teacher allowed me to write a permission slip for him there and sign it and she said we could get the money to her later. Natalie took me back to my car and we tried jumping the battery. After a half-hour and many tries later the car just...would...not...turn...over...AHHHHHHH!
Fortunately, Natalie offered to give me a ride to Paris Uniforms so I could get my drug test done. She kept telling me to look on the bright side because she must have sensed I was getting a little stressed by now. She said "Look on the bright side, at least you don't have to get a pacemaker." (I was actually referred to a cardiologist about getting a pace maker at one time, I mentioned it in this post.) We arrived at my destination and I told her that she didn't have to wait for me since I didn't know how long I was going to be there. I went in and I was only there for about ten minutes, and I didn't have a ride home...AHHHHHHH!
Fortunately, I gave my friend Gary a call. He just happened to be working nearby and he was on his break. He picked me up in one of those little 4x4 utility vehicles which looked a little like this:
...except it was green. He drove me to where he parked his Bronco and let me borrow it. He told me a few good places to get a car battery. So I went and got the battery, took the old battery out of my car and put the new one in. I had never replaced a car battery before so all I could do was pray I was doing it right. After I finished I sat in the driver seat, closed my eyes, said a little prayer, and turned the key...AHHHHHHH!...I mean...VROOOOOOOM! It started!
So that was my crazy day. I think we need days like this once in awhile, but not too frequently. And did you notice, for every "AHHHHHHH!", there was a "Fortunately" in this story. I feel blessed to have some great friends that God has placed in my life. Tuesday would have been rough without them.
If you have been reading and keeping up with this blog then you're probably wondering why I'm doing another WWWE, or Work, Work, Work Edition on my blog when I've talked about all the jobs I've had. Well, I have a new one! I'll be working as a delivery driver for a uniform rental company called Paris. After almost eight months of unemployment I finally have a job again!
I did a ride along yesterday for the route I'll be taking over. We started at 5am. (The sun doesn't even get up at 5am) We loaded uniforms, floor mats, shop towels, and a few other things into the truck. We traveled to about 20 different locations to make deliveries and to pick up uniforms, mats, and towels to be washed. It's a very physical job, and that's something I appreciate. If I don't have to spend my spare time in a fitness center because my job helps me get in shape, that's a bonus! Plus I'm tired of sit-down jobs. I worked an office job for almost two years, and I don't know if you've seen the movie Office Space, but it may as well be a documentary because a lot of what happens in that movie is true.
Today I went in for my drug test which I'm 99.999% sure I'll pass that one. They also have to check my driving background which I'm not worried about either. Haven't had a speeding ticket in over 5 years. God bless cruise control. Next Monday, I have to drive about two hours west of here to a town called Dubois for my orientation/training. I'll get to stay over night in a hotel and then finish up orientation on Tuesday. I'll start on Wednesday. I'll receive about three weeks of training and then I'm on my own.
This job has great benefits and it's quite a bit more money than my last job, plus I get commission. Out of all the jobs I've applied for and all the interviews I've had, this is probably the best one. Many times during my unemployment when I would get turned down for a job or not even get an interview I started questioning God, like I usually do in such a situation. With the wedding getting closer and closer and no way to pay for it I started asking God why I didn't have a job yet.
Sometimes I like to say that God is the God of close calls because so many of the things I pray for seem to happen at the last minute. But perhaps God isn't the God of close calls, perhaps he's the God of perfect timing.
So, the other day in church we sang a song called "Believe". I don't care for this song. In fact, I don't care for a lot of praise and worship music out there. So much of it is recycled, unimaginative, and uncreative. But a line in this song really stuck out to me and it bothered me. The line says, "Where's the power, the power of the cross in my life?"
I know many Christians see the cross as a symbol of the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for everyone, everywhere. I wear one myself sometimes. But saying that the cross has power, that bothers me. Why? Well, the cross is nothing more than a device designed to slowly and painfully kill someone, not to mention totally humiliate them in the process. "Where's the power, the power of the device designed to slowly and painfully kill some one, not to mention totally humiliate them in the process, in my life?" Does that sound right? What if Jesus were around at a different point in history and a different means was used to kill him?
"Where's the power, the power of the guillotine in my life?"
"Where's the power, the power of the firing squad in my life?"
"Where's the power, the power of walking the plank in my life?"
"Where's the power, the power of the gallows in my life?"
"Where's the power, the power of the electric chair in my life?"
"Where's the power, the power of the lethal injection in my life?"
"Where's the power, the power of plunging into the sarlacc pit in my life?" (Star Wars reference, I'm a geek)
You get the point.
I know I'm probably just ranting, but I think we really need to think about some of the lyrics that show up in the songs we sing in church and ask, "Does this really even make any sense?". Anyway, if you would like to critique the song yourself, here are the lyrics.
"Believe"
I say on Sunday how much I want revival But then on Monday, I can't even find my Bible Where's the power The power of the cross in my life
I'm sick of playing the game of religion I'm tired of losing my reason for living Where's the power The power of the cross in my life
I'm not content just to walk through my life, Giving in to the lies, walking in compromises now We cry out as a generation that was lost But now is found in the power of the cross
We believe in you We believe in the power of your word that is true We believe in you So we lay down our cause That our cross might be found in you
I'm not satisfied doing it my own way I'm not satisfied to do church and walk away I'm not satisfied there's no love in my life but You I'm not satisfied living in yesterday's hour I'm not satisfied to have the form but not the power I'm not satisfied, Lord I am crucified in You
We believe in you We believe in the power of your word that is true We believe in you So we lay down our cause That our cross might be found in you
So we lay down our cause That our cross might be found in you
I wanted to share another short film today called Flesh Eating Film Reels. I remember watching this on HBO when I was little. I remember enjoying it but at the same time it was kind of scary. I think it was the way the filmstrip is animated. It still kind of freaks me out to this day. But I haven't seen this probably since I was 5 or 6 and I just happened upon it on YouTube the other day. Enjoy!
And here's a little more nostalgia for you if you remember watching HBO in the early 80's:
You may have found your way here via Matthew Paul Turner's blog, Jesus Needs New PR, looking for a review of his new book "Hear No Evil" which releases tomorrow, Feb. 16th! I admit I haven't read it yet, but I plan on doing it...someday. I do have a copy of MPT's "Churched" which is still in my "to-be-read" stack of books. I actually did read the "Christian Culture Survival Guide" and loved it. I am an avid reader of MPT's blog and watcher of his two YouTube channels, MatthewPaulTurner, and thewoak. His latest video is great:
So I don't even have to read "Hear No Evil" to tell you that it's going to be a great read. How's that for a review? A review driven by faith alone that Matthew has once again written yet another masterpiece!
I first found out about Matthew Paul Turner when I picked up the "Christian Culture Survival Guide" at the Purple Door Arts and Music Festival in Lewisberry, PA in 2007 at the Relevant booth. I found it hard to put down. I was at a turning point in my life where I started challenging what I believed. This book was a real eye-opener for me. I eventually came to a point in my life where I realized it was okay to have questions and doubts rather than pretend to know all the answers. Reading what Matthew has written has been a part of what has brought me to where I am now.
So I suggest that you not just read "Hear No Evil" but read other things Matthew has written. He'll make you laugh, he'll make you cry...we'll maybe not cry, not intentionally anyway. He'll make you think and make you laugh again.
Today I would like to share a website I found called Bored Panda-the Only Magazine for Pandas. It is a treasure chest of random visual oddities, I think that's how it can be best described. I'll share just a few images along with links to the articles that go with each image. I found this site through StumbleUpon.com of course. I'll share five interesting things I found at this site and I'll leave the rest of the exploring up to you.
The Kansas City Library, Missouri. Apparently they carry books with large print.
Rotating Tower, Dubai. It would be great to live in an apartment where you can say, "Honey, the sun is glaring on the TV, could you turn the room about 90ยบ?"
The Basket Building, Ohio I'm assuming it's a mental institution.
2) "One Sheet of Paper"-Here are some works of art made from one sheet of paper (just in case you couldn't figure that out from the title of the article).
Impenetrable Castle I don't know about that, last time I checked, scissors beat paper.
Look at that detail!
White Hand. Oh no, that skeletal hand is attacking a turkey!
Down the River.
"Do you hear that sound? Why is the current getting faster?"
Sorry, no funny comments for these ones. There really isn't anything funny to say about these. (Click the one above to see it larger if you can't read the label.)
The other day I heard some sad news. Curtis Allina, inventor of the PEZ dispenser died at the age of 87 on December 15, 2009. PEZ has always been one of my favorite candies. It's not only a big part of American pop culture, but a part of pop culture the world over.
1) People who enjoy collecting PEZ dispensers can attend an annual PEZ convention in Ohio, Missouri, California, Minnesota, Connecticut, South Carolina, Austria, Finland, and Sweden.
2) In 2006, a PEZ dispenser in the form of a clear 50's space gun sold for $11,000 on eBay.
3) PEZ candy comes in the following flavors: Apple, Cherry, Chocolate, Coffee, Cola, Grape, Lemon, Lime, Orange, Peppermint, Raspberry, Sour Watermelon, Sour Green Apple, Sour Blue Raspberry, Sour Pineapple, Strawberry, Sugarfree Orange, Sugarfree Lemon, Sugarfree Strawberry, and Yogurt.
4) There is a documentary called PEZheads: the movie. Here's the trailer:
5) A Tweety Bird PEZ made a special guest appearance on Seinfeld:
Here are a few pictures of some PEZ dispenser collections:
You can even put your own head on a PEZ dispenser:
(Click the pic to enlarge)
Since PEZ has become such a huge part of pop culture, I think a statue should be erected in memory of the man who invented the PEZ dispenser, Curtis Allina. So I took the liberty of making some concept art for a statue:
