divine appointments to encourage.

jeremy messersmith, "a girl, a boy, and a graveyard"

Lucy takes the long way home
Meets me in a field of stone
She says I don't know how I'm supposed to feel
My body's cold my guts are twisted steel

I feel like I'm some kind of frankenstein
Waiting for a shock to bring me back to life
But I don't want to spend my time
Waiting for lightning to strike

Underneath a concrete sky
Lucy puts her hand in mine
She says life's a game we're meant to lose
But stick by me and I will stick by you

I'm like a princess in a castle high
Waiting for a kiss to bring me back to life
But I don't want to spend my time
Waiting for just another guy

cause sarah walker's my favorite - love this.

Looking forward to that moment… Because watching the Master Spy grow into a new level of girlfriend and partner is what sets this show apart… Fedak did a great job defining her in the premiere, too… Sarah is no longer adrift; she can still smile, sashay, and drop Marco with one punch; she can leave Chuck behind to do her job; and she is willing to take a risk and go beyond who she is to explore what being in a relationship means – because Chuck is worth every risk.Cool.

by DignityRLI September 26, 2010 at 8:00 am

"Is God useful or beautiful?"

While talking about trials and suffering in our lives, Mueller stops teaching for a second and asks:
“Are you able to genuinely say, from your knowledge of God and your relationship with Him, that He is indeed a beautiful Being? If not, let me graciously encourage you to ask God to take you to that point, so that you will fully appreciate His gentleness and kindness, so you will be able to say just how good He is, and so you will know what a delight it is to God’s heart to do good for His children. The closer we come to this point in our inner being, the more willing we are to leave ourselves in His hands and the more satisfied we are with all of His dealings with us.”

we are real people with a real relationship with a real god



"Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

-- i think i trust the bible in times of darkness more than anything else because it so accurately sums up the human condition: the beauty and depravity of it all.

sad day! no more margarita mondays... i didn't realize our mondays at taco mesa were over. end of an era for sure


proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

so... why?

prayer of thanks & action

Thank you for my daily bread. Through me, feed those who are hungry.

Thank you for a body and mind that work. Through me, heal those who are broken.

Thank you for loving me when I was your enemy. Through me, love my enemies.

Thank you that someone told me the story of Christ’s death and resurrection. Through me, tell the world.

Amen.

on the road again.

chuck fans continue to outdo themselves. love it

esp this comment: http://chuckthisblog.wordpress.com/2010/09/17/journeys-and-stories-and-plots-oh-my/#comment-22829

The “Chuck” story begins, as Chuck’s story and Sarah’s story converge and begin to entertwine. (These are the stories I see. Others may disagree.) The story is about two people whose past has robbed them of their future. One is the story of a guy who was meant to be a hero but is living a mediocre life in a dead-end job. The other is the story of a beautiful, smart, acomplished woman whose life is filled with excitement and adventure but lacks the roots and companionship, the love and warmth she secretly desires. They become embroiled in the same plot. As they respond to their shared circumstances and to each other, it becomes clear that each is vital to the other’s story. She recognizes and encourages the hero in the guy. He loves the woman and stirs in her the lost hope that she can have a real life of love and belonging. Each one becomes an integral part of the others journey, until we can’t shake the feeling that they are bound for a shared destination. At the end of S2, the destination was in sight. Then came Pink Slip … uh, hello, we woke up in a different story … on a different loom. OK, but it sure felt that way. It was like TPTB totally forgot that Chuck’s and Sarah’s stories were inextricably entwined and interdependent.

What should happen when your characters reach their shared destination? Just like life, each destination becomes the trailhead of the next story. How I met my husband and fell in love is just part of my/our story. There’s lots more after that. So, if someone asks how we met, I tell that story. If they ask what happened next, I tell the next part of the story. The story Schwedak told didn’t feel like the next part of the story. It felt like a bad rewrite of the story that had already been told, with alien-replacements standing in for the characters we had come to know and love. (In my mind, a better alternative for what should have come next would have been a courtship arc with our two leads communicating on more intimate levels, working through hurdles and issues, and continuing to help each other fulfill their objectives and desires.)

So, why is it so hard for TV story tellers to tell the next story? In part, I think it’s because they’ve taken the 2-hr-movie, romantic-comedy paradigm and imposed it on a TV series. It’s fine for a season, but then its time to tell the next story, something that romantic comedy movies don’t do. To tell the next story, you have to dig deeper … wrestle with relationship shifts and new directions.

The good news is that season 4 looks like it will do just that. Chuck and Sarah are together and will have different sorts of challenges. He has become the hero he was meant to be. She has found love and belonging. That was the beginning … the requirement for their continuing journey. Now, they are ready for even greater adventures. From now on their relationship (its passion, love & commitment) should be the strength of their journey rather than its destination. I’m ready for lots more Chuck and Sarah adventures. May their journey be long and satisfying!

Oops got a little long …again.

by thinkling September 18, 2010 at 10:53 pm

also, i will believe: http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/09/22/chuck-highlighted-as-one-of-the-brands-in-an-integrated-comcast-nbc-universal/64673

sepinwall "terriers" interview

how these should probably be done. interesting.

netflix streaming now works on google chrome. goodbye, firefox




"Promise me you'll always remember: you're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."

six pages! dang

in reading this, though, and watching the promo videos (http://www.hulu.com/watch/177979/chuck-zach-yvonne-and-dolph-on-season-4) - the heart of the show for me is chuck and sarah, and as much as morgan improved this past year, i'd still rather see the couple work and figure out life together. morgan always walks the "too goofy" line for me.

it's almost like morgan is the new love interest taking screen time from chuck and sarah. blergh.



UGHH should not have watched this but now i'm even more exciteddddd
http://www.nbc.com/chuck/video/season-4-super-sneak-peek/1249502/

Many times a day I realize how much my own life is built upon the labors of my fellowmen, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received.
–Albert Einstein

leona naess, "leave your boyfriend behind"

I'm not ready
and I'm not even close
I'm not like the rest
No, i ain't like most
So don't hold your breath
And don't count to ten.
I'm still messing up
Gonna do it again.

So lets go out late
Drink a lot
Stay up past eight and then dance
Dance all night
Leave our boyfriends behind.
Leave our boyfriends...

One hand on the trigger
and one eye out for ghosts
One foot on the floor
and one glass in the toast
We're not ready
and we're not even close
We're not like the rest
No, we ain't like most

So lets go out late
Drink a lot
Stay up past eight
And then dance
Dance all night
Leave our boyfriends behind
Leave your girlfriend behind

Oh, lets go out late
Drink a lot
Stay up past eight
And then dance
Dance all night
Leave our boyfriends behind

Oh lets call our friends
And pretend
We've got ages till the sun
Comes along
Till the end of the this song.

Oh, lets go out late
Drink a lot
Stay up past eight
And then dance
Dance all night
Leave your girlfriend behind
I'll leave my boyfriend behind

chuck at paleyfest recap (2008)

hahaha.

http://dawnybee.livejournal.com/377387.html

McG: Did anyone go to Comic-Con?

(a good number of people applaud)

McG: That was the becoming of the show because, who knew? There was a thousand, two-thousand people crammed in this room.
Josh: You made me and Zach 69 each other.
Zach: Yes, he did.
McG; "Acting is letting go of self and investing in a character."

mad men, "the summer man"

simply masterful.

"People tell you who they are but we ignore it because we want them to be who we want them to be."



[sidebar: brushing your teeth in the middle of the day goes a long way in making you feel new.]

blind pilot, "3 rounds and a sound"

They're playing our song
They're playing our song
Can you see the lights?
Can you hear the hum?

Of our song
I hope they get it right
I hope we dance tonight
Before we, get it wrong

And the seasons
Will change us new
Be the best I've known
and you know me
I could not be stuck on you
If it were true

I was sleeping
My eyes were dark
Til you woke me
And told me that opening
is just the start
it was

Now I see you, til kingdom come
You're the one I want
To see me for all the stupid shit I've done

(Chorus)
Soil and six feet under
Killed just like we were
Before you knew you'd know me
And you know me

Blooming up from the ground
3 Rounds and a sound
Like whispering you know me
And you know me

So this was our song
This was our song
I still see the lights
I can see them

And the criss cross
Of what is true, won't get to us
Cause you know me
I could not give up on you

And the fog of what is right
Won't cover us cause you know me
I could not give up a fight


http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858731209/

wow! great practice writing with this many voices

The difference between me and God is that God never gets confused and thinks He's me.

binary.

remember

whoa.

http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/whats-alan-watching/posts/mad-men-the-suitcase-get-her-to-the-greek

Jessamyn I feel like I understand the aspect of Peggy that is tone-deaf to others' feelings, because I have someone in my life who is like that. She is whip-smart and can be very tender-hearted and sympathetic, but she can also be oblivious, especially when it comes to other people's subtle reactions. Similarly, this person wants marriage and a family in the abstract, but the actual realities of being in a long-term relationship are too much for her. This person and Peggy are frequently baffled by why people don't behave in a more rational manner, even when they themselves don't always act rationally.

Ah, Duck. In one sense, he has great timing - he only tries to woo Peggy away when Don's been beating the crap out of her - but it's just not enough, is it?
September 10, 2010 at 8:40AM EST


"We are all worms, but I do believe I am a glow-worm." -sir winston churchill. ahaha

//

Gotham Goddess At the risk of losing this post...AGAIN, I want to say I rewatched "Out Of Town" (the first episode of last season). Don hooks up with the stewardess and he confesses it is his birthday. She asks to see hie drivers' license and he remarks, "It wouldn't help." It was Dick's birthday. Perhaps nobody knows that birthdate except his family. Not even Anna may have known when Dick was born. He took on Don's birthday and age.
It was a sad scene.
I forgot how poignant it was and I am glad I watched it again. What is so amazing about this show is how rich and consistent the writing is. A throw away line from Betty was, "I just want everything to be perfect." Sums her up totally.
Or Don saying to Sally, "I will always come home and you will always be my girl".
These lines are so much more incredible one year and one season later. It gives these characters a lot more depth and they are so much more sympathetic. Betty especially. She was so open, so hopeful, so blind. Her unravelling makes perfect sense.

Alan- I read several recaps of Mad Men (EW and Salon) and by far, you have always done it better and more thoughtfully than anyone. Even over at AMC.com- they are plagued by Trolls and it is a zoo. I love the fans here and respect your Blog. I hope the bug gets fixed to preserve the amazing insights that are shared here.
September 9, 2010 at 11:33AM EST

nine days, "good friend"

I used to think that you were someone else
Then I'd lose my mind each day
I used to think that I could help myself
But it's true
what they say
There is no reason without a way
if this is

good bye
to you and me
What a good friend you've been to me
and I owe it all to you
every good thing that I do is you

I used to wish that I was someone else
then I'd dream away the day
those dreams have made me into someone new
and its true what they say
there is no better time than today
if this is

good bye
to you and me
What a good friend you've been to me
and I owe it all to you
every good thing that I do is you

I am here
I need to say
that I will miss you
everyday

and it's true what they say
there is no better time than today
if this is

good bye
to you and me
What a good friend you've been to me
and I owe it all to you
every good thing that I do is you

every good thing that I do is you
it's you

every good thing that I do
well I owe it all to you
every good thing that I do is

nine days, "if i am"

So you're standing on a ledge
It looks like you might fall
So far down
Or maybe you were thinking about jumping

Now you could have it all
If you learned a little patience
For though I cannot fly
I'm not content to crawl

So give me a little credit
Have in me a little faith
I want to be with you forever
If tomorow's not too late

But it's always too late when you've got nothing
So you say
But you should never let the sun set on tomorrow
Before the sun rises today

If I am
Another waste of everything you dreamed of
I will let you down
If I am
Only here to watch as you suffer
I will let you down

So you're walking on the edge
And you wait your turn to fall
But you're so far gone
That you don't see the hands upheld to catch you

And you could find the fault
In the heart that you've been handed
For though you cannot fly
You're not content to crawl

But it's always too late when you've got nothing
So you say
But you should never let the sun set on tomorrow
Before the sun rises today

If I am
Another waste of everything you dreamed of
I will let you down
If I am
Only here to watch as you suffer
I will let you down

The answers we find
Are never what we had in mind
So we make it up as we go along
I won't mention tomorrow
And we won't make those promises that we can't keep

I will never leave you
I will never let you down
I will never leave you
I will never let you down

evan & jaron, "the distance"

The sky has lost its color
The sun has turned to grey
At least that's how it feels to me
Whenever you're away
I crawl up in the corner
As I watch the minutes pass
Each one brings me closer to
The time you're comin' back

I can't take the distance
I can't take the miles
I can't take the time until I next see you smile
I can't take the distance
And I'm not ashamed
That with every breath I take I'm callin your name

But I can't take the distance

I still believe my feelings
But sometimes I feel too much
I make believe you're close to me
But it ain't close enough
Not nearly close enough

I can't take the distance
I can't take the miles
I can't take the time until I next see you smile
I can't take the distance
And I'm not ashamed
That with every breath I take I'm callin your name

I brave fire and I brave rain
To be by your side I'd do anything
I can't take the distance

I will go the distance
I will go the miles
That's how much you mean to me

'Cause I can't take the distance
I can't take these miles
I can't take the time until I next see you smile
I can't take the distance
And I'm not ashamed
That with every breath I take I'm calling your name
I can't take the distance

It's hard to remember
As long as you're away
When I find solace
There's only one way

nice :)

season 4 specs

rosanne cash (feat johnny cash), "september when it comes"

There's a cross above the baby's bed
A Saviour in her dreams
But she was not delivered then
And the baby became me

There's a light inside the darkened room
A footstep on the stair
A door that I forever close
To leave those memories there

So when the shadows link them
Into an evening sun
Well, first there's summer, then I'll let you in
September when it comes

I plan to crawl outside these walls
Close my eyes and see
And fall into the heart and arms
Of those who wait for me
I cannot move a mountain now
I can no longer run
I cannot be who I was then:
In a way, I never was

I watch the clouds go sailing
I watch the clock and sun
Oh, I watch myself, depending on
September when it comes

So when the shadows link them
And burn away the clouds
They will fly me, like an angel
To a place where I can rest
When this begins, I'll let you know
September when it comes



(i want my keychain back :/)

ripped my favorite shorts :(((

got bangs. i do

white collar s02e05, "unfinished business"

opens with bryce - i mean neal - and peter discussing yelp reviews and molecular gastronomy. ahahah


(36:07) REALLY?? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shave_and_a_Haircut

koo chung, "you alone"

Tears bow before the living King
Lips form the words our hearts long to know
Truth that transforms us all
Change the desires of these darkened souls

As we cast a final glance at this trodden past
It disappears from Your sight once and for all
Like photographic images brought to the light
They fade.. and fade away

So be our eyes
Be our hands
Lifted to You
To You alone

Take hold of stubborn guilt we bring to You
Melodies our voices yearn to sing
Passion of youth come invade me now
Joy let your strength break through

As we come out from behind these walls of sorrow
Covered by a grace so bold
And everything we know shall pass but your love
Remains.. it still remains

Chorus

More breath-taking than a gaze at perfect scenery
Your silence hushes thundering storms
All this might and glory yet you still choose to dwell
In me... in me



(c) 2003 Maria Moon/Koo Chung

i want this. here i am, send me



http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/01/31/31-days-to-fix-your-finances-a-wrapup/

sandra mccracken, "rock of ages (when the day seems long)"

Rock of Ages, when the day seems long
From this labor and this heartache I have come
The skies will wear out, but You remain the same
Rock of Ages, I praise Your name.

Rock of Ages, You have brought me near
You have poured out Your life-blood, Your love, Your tears
To make this stone heart come alive again
Rock of Ages, forgive my sin

Rock of Ages, Rock of Ages
Bind your children til' your kingdom comes
Rock of Ages, Your will be done

Rock of Ages, when in want or rest
My desperate need for such a Savior I confess
Pull these idols out from my heart embrace
Rock of Ages, I need Your grace

Rock of Ages, broken, scorned for me
Who am I that You would die to make me free?
To give me glory, You took the death and pain
Rock of Ages, my offering

Rock of Ages, "It is done," You cried
The curtain's torn and I see justice satisfied
Now write Your mercy here on my heart and hands
Rock of Ages, in faith I stand

Rock of Ages, my great hope secure
Your promise holds just like an anchor to my soul
Bind your children with cords of love and grace
Rock of Ages, we give You praise

grand archives, "sleepdriving"

Snow fell thick and small
It buried a starlit fog
You remembered it all
I'm sleepdriving away
Metal and mold, bourbon and clove
Mirrors and smoke, yesterday's clothes
I'm sleepdriving away
Eyes through your window, I stare out
And some, someday we'll be too old
Cold will ache with making you jaw
You're only as old as you say that we are
I'm sleepdriving away
The trunk of the car filled with all that we own
This old Pontiac's starting to feel like a boat
I'm sleepdriving away
Eyes through your window I stare out
And some, someday we'll be too old
It's nearly dawn, your motel home
The shades were drawn to hide the storm
Without a sound, TV glow
The blankets tied around our throats
Swirling round, the light above
Outside the crows were waking up
It's nearly dawn
Motel home was nearly gone
No sleep at all
Outside, those crows
In life, oh noes
Frozen roads and run
Sleepdriving away

it's coming... the carrot.