My Top 40 of 2007

I'm a music geek who can't afford to buy all the latest tunes, but I have downloaded a few this year. Here's a list of some of my favorites. Many of the links are to YouTube, so you can check them out yourself. This year, I discovered several blogs and podcasts that introduced me to artists old and new. Check them out for yourself:

The Bored-Again Christian - an indie music podcast delivered with generous doses of sarcastic wit
The Blah Blah - an mp3 blog that's heavy on indepedent artists
Obvious Pop - Dr. Tony Shore offers up power pop and prog rock in blog and podcast

So here's my Top 40 favorite songs of 2007:
1. Running Away – The Polyphonic Spree – Fragile Army
2. American Dream – Switchfoot – Oh! Gravity.
3. Keep The Car Running – Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
4. Entertaining Thoughts – Over the Rhine – The Trumpet Child
5. Going Through Changes – Army of Me - Citizen

6. Someone to Love – Fountains of Wayne - Traffic and Weather
7. It All Depends – The Swirling Eddies – The Midget, The Speck & The Molecule
8. Amazing Grace – The A-Sides – Silver Storms
9. Shoreline – Deas Vail – All the Houses Look the Same
10. Vast – Lost Ocean
11. Hypocrisy #785 – Jeremy Casella – Recovery
12. Never-Changing – John Davis – Arigato!
13. It Might Be Hope – Sara Groves – Tell Me What You Know
14. The Unwinding Cable Car – Anberlin – Cities
15. Stay Humble – Tyler James – Cities
16. Trouble – Over the Rhine – The Trumpet Child
17. Thorns – Demon Hunter – Storm the Gates of Hell
18. All I Want – Future of Forestry – Twilight (song starts at 4:00)
19. Love It When You Call – The Feeling – Twelve Stops and Home
20. The End of You and Me – Greg Adkins – Chase the Western Sky

21. Awakening – Switchfoot – Oh! Gravity.
22. Ever Present Past – Paul McCartney – Memory Almost Full
23. Wet and Rusting – Menomena – Friend and Foe

24. My Rights Versus Yours – The New Pornographers – Challengers
25. Giants in the Land – The Swirling Eddies – The Midget, The Speck & The Molecule
26. Becoming – Tree63 – Sunday!
27. Rise – Army of Me – Citizen
28. Rewind – Deas Vail – All the Houses Look the Same

29. We’re the Trees – The A-sides - Silver Storms
30. Burnout Bright – Switchfoot – Oh! Gravity.
31. Old Radio – Greg Adkins – Chase the Western Sky
32. The Space Between Living and Dying – Jeremy Casella – Recovery
33. So Much Love – The Rocket Summer – Do You Feel
34. Glory of It All – David Crowder Band – Remedy
35. Fading Away – Demon Hunter – Storm the Gates of Hell

36. Little – Greg Adkins – Thirty-Three
37. I Need Someone – John Davis - Arigato!
38. Anything You Say – Deas Vail - All the Houses Look the Same
39. You Are – Lost Ocean
40. The Sophomores – Blick Van Glory - The Search For Quest



And here are some from 2006 that I discovered kinda late...

Real Gone – Sheryl Crow – Cars Soundtrack

I Am The World – The Elms – The Chess Hotel
Supersonic Earthquake and Love Addict - Family Force 5 – Business Up Front, Party In The Rear

Ocean Size Love – Leigh Nash - Blue
Saving Grace – Tom Petty – Highway Companion
Weight of the World – Pigeon John – Pigeon John & the Summertime Pool Party
Life is a Highway – Rascal Flatts – Cars Soundtrack
Umbrellas – Sleeping At Last – Keep No Score

And here are two albums I have heard positive buzz about, but haven't had a chance to fully checkout yet:

Mike Farris – Salvation in Lights - Christianity Today named this one the best of the year, and I like what I've heard on his myspace page and on you tube. check out the video



Collective Soul - Afterwords - Yes, that Collective Soul..... Obvious Pop named it one of the year's best. Follow the link to see an early performance of the song Bearing Witness.

Homeschooling

My friend aka pastor guy posted a great piece on why he and his wife homeschool their boys, which reminded me that I have never posted on the subject, even though Janell is in her second year and now has two pupils.

In his post, he gives his reasons for homeschooling. I'm going to list them here with some of his comments and my own. I'm prioritizing them a little differently to match our reasons. Home schooling was actually a hard sell for me (based on homeschoolers I encountered as a kid). I was leaning toward public school, but as we looked into it found these reasons to be compelling (my wife can also be very persuasive). We are also blessed to have a network of homeschooling families in our church who provide encouragement and collaboration in this endeavor. My father has also been involved with homeschooling over the past couple of years as a homeschool cooperative administrator.

1. Educational Quality: the chances of our [daughters] getting a high quality education are better at home (where the teacher:student ratio is [1:2]) than in a public school (where the teacher:student ratio is 1:20+). Our ability to choose curriculum to fit particular learning styles & needs is substantially higher than a public or private school. We can also use travel in ways that public schools can not to further supplement our [girls'] education. We were also concerned with the quality of education offered in the local school system - based on the testimonials from parents who did use it. Most folks we know are moving across the county lines for better schools.

2. Flexibility: I don't think a lot of folks realize that good quality homeschooling doesn't take 8 hours a day - if [our kids are] concentrating & working hard, [they] can do most of [their] work in 90-120 minutes. (Just think about how much time in school is spent moving people from one place to another, taking attendance, listening to announcements, etc.) That extra 5-6 hours per day allows [them] lots of time to read, to play outside... and that doesn't even figure in our family's flexibility to travel.... That last point is especially true in this particular season of our life. We can take school with us on the road.

3. School Bureaucracy: Where we currently live, school zoning is completely whacked. There are three elementary schools within a 3 mile radius of our home, but we are zoned for a fourth that is 5 miles away. While that school is "brand new", it isn't in our community. I'm not going to bus my kids unnecessarily. And this has nothing to do with "diversity". My kids would be a "minority" in our community schools - something we don't have a problem with. School overcrowding is also a big issue.

4. Jump Start For our Youngest: By homeschooling, we are able to start our youngest in Kindergarten a full year earlier than in public schools (she turns 5 in November). We made that decision because she was demonstrating a desire to learn and because she had already been exposed to school last year while observing and absorbing her sister's lessons.

5. Spiritual Training: We incorporate bible lessons and activities such as AWANA into their curriculum.

6. Being Kids: The pressure from popular culture is for kids to grow up so quickly now - to become little adults in the manner & content of what they consume. [We] really want our [girls] to be kids as long as humanly possible - they will have plenty of time to be adults later. This is especially true for our girls. We try to encourage imaginative (dress up, tea times, birthday parties for stuffed animals) as well as creative play activities.

7. Values: This is not just about kids - people pick up values from their environment, not from what they're taught. (Does any school teach that cheating is OK? No. Does that stop kids from cheating? No. The culture is stronger than the information... and even the chance of punishment.) By homeschooling, we're spending our [girls'] formative years with them in an environment where they are swimming in our value choices. According to research from The Barna Group, most individuals don't radically change their values & beliefs after age 13 - which means that the elementary school years are key!

8. Enjoying Family: Here's something weird & wonderful about homeschooling. Relatively healthy homeschooling families (there are unhealthy ones) seem to enjoy being together more than other families, up into & including their teenage years. I hope this will be true of ours.

My friend goes on to discuss the issues of socialization and sheltering - I encourage you to read it. He also lists the curriculum they use. We are currently using Sing, Spell, Read and Write along with Math U See.

Christianity is Practical

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." - Mt. 5:13-16

So much of the time, evangelicals present a Christianity that is concerned with spiritual needs and realities at the expense of physical, emotional and practical needs. Growing up I heard this salt and light passage of the Sermon on the Mount interpreted as a command to meet spiritual needs, share the gospel, evangelize, etc... It's not that I think this is wrong, just backwards. Salt and light are very practical. Salt preserves, cleanses, and enhances. Light illuminates, heats, and heals. I have come to believe that Christ followers should be as useful to the world as salt and light. We should be feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, comforting the sick, teaching the illiterate, advocating for the voiceless, caring for the environment, creating art, etc.... Christ then states that men will see our good deeds and praise our Father in heaven.

God intends us to penetrate the world. Christian salt has no business to remain snugly in elegant little ecclesiastical salt cellars; our place is to be rubbed into the secular community, as salt is rubbed into meat, to stop it going bad. And when society does go bad, we Christians tend to throw up our hands in pious horror and reproach the non-Christian world; but should we not rather reproach ourselves? One can hardly blame unsalted meat for going bad. It cannot do anything else. The real question to ask is: Where is the salt?
John Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount

Football Time in Tennessee

Its time once again to don the Orange and White and cheer on my beloved Tennessee Volunteers. GO VOLS!!!

I love college football!

It's also time once again to participate in the Silly Underdog Picks contest sponsored by Nashville's 104.5 The Zone. Just like last year, I'll be posting my picks in the comments section of this post. I encourage you to sign up and play along or at least join in the conversation. Feel free to post your own picks or just mock mine. Hopefully, I'll be able to match or better last year's performance.

Harry Potter is Dead - Long Live Harry Potter!

Janell and I both finished reading the seventh and final installment in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. I'm not much of a literary critic, but I will say that the Rowling is a great story teller. Her characters are both fantastical and "real". I found myself really being moved emotionally as they experienced laughs, dangers, triumphs, and loss.

Most surprising of all was the more blatant Christian imagery and references in the final book. Christianity Today has a special section dedicated to the cultural phenomenon and in particular this review (caution: spoilers).

Also check out what aka Pastor guy has to say about the final book and the whole Christianity & HP controversy.

And finally, check out what the guys over at Scriptorium Daily are saying about Harry (caution: spoilers).

Update: My good friend Scott used his superior blogging skills to share his thoughts on Deathly Hallows.

And if you thought the epilogue was too short, check out J.K. Rowling's online chat transcript.

What be playin' on ye ol' iPod?

Here are 15 songs that have been in fairly heavy rotation on my iPod of late:

The Unwinding Cable Car - Anberlin
It All Depends - The Swirling Eddies
Burn and Shine - The Elms
Ocean Size Love - Leigh Nash
Running Away - The Polyphonic Spree
Vast - Lost Ocean
Work - Jars of Clay
Mission's Flame - Matt Redman
Umbrellas - Sleeping at Last
Three is a Magic Number - The Jellydots
Dead Man (Carry Me) - Jars of Clay
He Reigns - Newsboys
Circles - Switchfoot
Motor Mouth - Sugarbomb
Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve

Band of Brothers

On June 6, I posted about the anniversary of D-Day and recommended that you watch the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. I decided to take my own advise and watch the series again. So from June 23 - July 11, I watched all ten episodes and the documentary (first time since 2001). The series was produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks and has the look and feel of their movie Saving Private Ryan (realism, desaturated colors, hand-held camera, grainy film).

Inspired by Stephen Ambrose's book of the same name, the series follows the true story of E Company, 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division from boot camp in Toccoa, Ga to Hitler's personal alpine retreat The Eagle's Nest. We watch as these men bond together into a fighting unit that jumps into Normandy and fights it way across Europe, but we also see devastating toll the war takes on the unit and its men as they stand against the Germans, the weather, and their own human foibles. This is not just another war movie. It is good drama and a great example of history in film done right. You come to admire these guys. They become a band of heroes before your eyes.

One cool aspect of the series is the introductory interviews with the actual Easy Company veterans and the documentary that is included in the DVD set. A quick Google search also yields menofeasycompany.com where you can learn more about these guys (sadly many of them have passed away in the last six years since the series was filmed).

Beach Vacation

sunset
uploaded by jnordmoe

We had a family vacation last week to Seagrove Beach, FL. Besides the usual sun, sand and water, we also enjoyed the fellowship of eight other families from our church. I of course got baked on my first day on the beach. Fair-skinned Norweigians and hot, sunny beaches don't mix well. Check out more photos at flickr.

Ever Present Past

Here's the "official fan video" for Paul McCartney's new song Ever Present Past which I'm diggin'.

Bored Again

On the new music front, I discovered a great podcast and blog called The Bored Again Christian. This is a great way to discover new music and bands that are on the fringes of the Christian sub-culture. Among my newest discoveries are Pigeon John ("Weight of the World"), Arcade Fire ("Keep the Car Running"), and my new favorite The Polyphonic Spree ("Running Away"). Enjoy the video and checkout the podcast.

Photos at Flickr

Swingtime
Originally uploaded by nord

Check out my photos at Flickr

Piper on prosperity

hat tip: Emerging Minister

Lost - Season Four - Exclusive Sneek Peek

hattip: thegoodreverend

Jericho

One of my guilty pleasures this past year was following the post-nuclear holocaust tv drama Jericho. After ending the season on a massive cliffhanger, CBS announced that it was cancelling the show. Fans sent in tons of nuts as a protest (the season finale was called "Nuts"). And apparently the suits at CBS heard the cries of the people. Jericho will return.

D-Day June 6, 1944

Today is the 63rd anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Hitler's Atlantic Wall. If your lucky enough to know or meet a World War II veteran. Thank them.

For more info on D-Day check out these sites:
Military History Online
The National World War II Museum
Eyewitness to History
The Eisenhower Library

Also check out these D-Day films:
Band of Brothers awesome series from start to finish and an awesome book too
Saving Private Ryan the first 20 minutes tells it like it was
The Longest Day the blockbuster, star-studded retelling of the event

Awakening - Switchfoot

2006 Movies Revisited

Back in December, I attempted to rank our favorite movies of last year. The only problem was that we hadn't even seen ten of the year's films. So after playing catch up via DVD, here's my revised TOP 10 of 2006.


1. United 93
2. Sophie Scholl
3. Flags of Our Fathers
4. Thank You for Smoking
5. Hoodwinked
6. Cars
7. Little Miss Sunshine
8. The Queen
9. End of the Spear
10. Wordplay


Honorable Mention: Over the Hedge, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, World Trade Center, Casino Royale, Curious George


So far in 2007, we've only seen Spiderman 3. I liked it, but not as much as the previous two. We are looking forward to Ratatouille, Becoming Jane, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and Pirates 3.

Financially Lost?

My pastor has been teaching on financial stewardship (how does being a Christian affect personal finance?). Its a combination of teachings from scripture, Dave Ramsey, Randy Alcorn, and others. You can find more at the church website.

I'm very grateful for the teachings on finance I received from my father. We strive to live on less than we make, which requires living on a budget. Budgeting is hard. It has required sacrifices and tremendous self-discipline. On the other hand, we've never wondered if we were going to make it to the end of the month. God has given us a little bit, and our job is to leverage it for the Kingdom.

Meanwhile, my friend aka Pastor Guy sent out these quotes on Christianity and wealth that I really enjoyed.

Safari clothes that will never be near a jungle.
Aerobic footwear that will never set foot in a aerobics class.
Deep-sea dive watch that will never get damp.
Keys to a four-wheel-drive vehicle that will never experience a hill.
Architectural magazines we don't read filled with pictures of furniture we don't like.
Financial strategy software keyed to a checkbook that's lost somewhere under a computer no one knows how to work.
Art poster from an exhibit we never went to of an artist we've never heard of.

Abstract materialism has arrived.

We've moved past the things we want & need and are buying things that have nothing to do with our lives.

-Cathy Lee Guisswhite from her comic strip, "Cathy"

A strange species we are. We can stand anything God & nature can throw at us save only plenty. If I wanted to destroy a nation, I would give it too much, and I would have it on its knees, miserable, greedy, sick.

-John Steinbeck

Money never stays with me. It would burn me if it did. I throw it out of my hands as soon as possible, lest it should find its way into my heart.

-John Wesley
(Wesley's philosophy was earn all you can, save all you can, and give all you can)

Apparently, all three of these quotes are found in the book, Money, Possessions & Eternity, by Randy Alcorn. I haven't read any of Alcorn's books yet, but he is on my long list of author's to check out.

LOTR alternate ending

I'm a big fan of both the LOTR books and films, and I have never complained about their length. That said, this video is hilarious.

daring to change the world

I just returned from hearing Dr. Muhammad Yunus speak at Vanderbilt's senior day lecture. Dr. Yunus earned his Ph.D. at Vandy about the same time I was born and he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.

I find his ideas of microfinance and social business to be fascinating. He has put into realworld econoomic practice the old adage, "give a man a fish and he eats for a day; teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime." I also believe that his methods can and should be used by Christians as we seek to reconcile every man, woman and child to God.

Watch this video and then check out more information on Dr. Yunus.

Here we are on April 13 - on our way to the Wycliffe Bible Translators USA headquarters in Orlando. Stay tuned for more info and pictures.

Hockey Night in Nashville

The Nashville Predators have been a pretty hot team this year, but I must confess to not being a big fan. What do you expect of someone who grew up in the South where its rare that birdbaths freeze over? So after a 4 year drought, I finally took the opportunity to attend a Predators game. Actually, I was invited by the Vanderbilt Nursing School to sit in the VUMC box. So I also got a chance to experience how the other half experience a hockey game - free food & drinks, room to move around, and private restroom.

The game itself was fun. The Preds scored in the first 11 seconds (their fastest score ever) and by the second period they had extended their lead to 3-1. I was impressed with the teamwork and the individual passing and shooting skills on display. The only negative would be the unnecessary fighting in the third period. With the game well in hand, players from both teams decided to give the crowd this spectacle that has become synonymous with hockey (I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out). I just don't like it. It reminds me of the gladiatorial fights of Rome, especially the way in which the crowd revels in the violence. I don't mind the rough (even violent) nature of the play, I just object to players throwing punches.

Anyway, the Predators have one more game tomorrow and then the playoffs. I hope they do well, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to see such talent. I also highly recommend box seats for anyone who has the chance. You'll love it!

Leaving the Big D

This past week I was in Dallas, TX at a conference on Archiving and Digital Libraries at SIL International (more on my role with them is coming soon). What follows is a journal of my trek homeward:

5:45 pm enroute to DFW in the rain, stop off at a Taco Bell for quick bite, call the airline to confirm terminal, automated message says the flight is cancelled, decide to continue on to the airport

6:45 pm stand in line at C terminal, flight is cancelled due to severe storms, get on standby list for a 9:15 pm, security confiscates my half empty container of hair gel, walk to D terminal

7:10 pm arrive at D terminal, look for outlet to plug in my laptop, announcement says flight moved to C terminal, walk back

7:30 pm arrive at C terminal, storm is worse, flight now expected to leave at 10:30, sit and try rest

8:10 pm begin writing this post, weather still bad, play with iTunes

9:15 pm the Dulles Flight finally departed, start up conversation with other Nashvillians

10:30 pm the first officer finally arrived, boarding begins

10:45 pm they begin calling standbys

11:05 pm they call my name (they end up having enough room for all who are at the gate)

11:15 pm the plane departs the gate

1:00 am the plane arrives at the gate

1:30 am destination reached!

Music Report 1Q 2007

It's been a while since I last posted on my music. Since then I've picked up a few noteworthy albums and discovered some interesting new music. Here's my quick review of what's ended up on my iPod in the first quarter of 2007.

Oh! Gravity. - Switchfoot

This album feels very similar to their previous two, but does have enough stand out tracks to warrant a full album download. Highlights for me are "American Dream", "Awakening", and "Burnout Bright".






The Chess Hotel - The Elms

The Elms are a group I've been hearing buzz about for the last few years, and The Chess Hotel is considered their breakthrough album. If you love the unpolished and unapologetic rock n roll of the Rolling Stones or the Seventy Sevens, you'll want to check these guys out. Stand out tracks include "I Am the World" and the title track.





Blue on Blue - Leigh Nash

Leigh Nash adds some diversity to my "guy rock" heavy playlists. I dug her ethereal pop vocals as a part of Sixpence None the Richer, and her solo debut offers more of the same with a more pop feel (comparable with "Kiss Me" in tone and lyrics). I recommend "My Idea of Heaven" and "Ocean Size Love" as good introductory tracks.



I've been using iTunes more. Two tracks from the Cars Soundtrack (btw, the movie has grown on me with repeated viewings) are popular with our entire family: Sheryl Crow's "Real Gone" and Rascal Flatt's cover of "Life Is a Highway" (which I like more than the original). Our girls beg for the "Cars Music" to dance around the house to. I'm also digging Tom Petty's "Saving Grace" from last year's Highway Companion cd.

I've also been listening to a new podcast by Dr. Tony Shore called The Obvious Popcast. Tony used to host a very hip alternative music radio show called the A Zone. That show provided the soundtrack to my brief graduate school bachelor days. Anyway, his podcast has introduced me to the world of Power Pop (a close relative of Prog Rock). The podcast is free and will introduce you to both the genre and the quirkiness that is Tony. Also checkout the Blog.

Thanks to the good "doctor", I've discovered three new tunes, that I recommend: The Dissociatives "Somewhere Down the Barrel", The Feeling's "Fill My Little World" and "Someone to Love" by Fountains of Wayne (all available online).

Tennessee Game Days

I spent last weekend playing board games as part of Tennessee Game Days put on by my friend Rick and hosted in my church's gym. It was loads of fun playing some of my favorite games, learning new ones, and meeting new gamers. Here's my list of games played.

Andromeda - few can resist the temptation to shake the cosmic hockey puck
Big City - i managed to build the shopping center and still lost
Crokinole - imagine curling as a table game
Doge
Flaschenteufel
Hamsterrolle
History of the World - a marathon game (this one took 6 hours). i liked it but doubt that i will play it again anytime soon
Memoir '44
Memoir '44 - Pacific Theater - a great WWII 2-player game and the pacific expansion rules are fun.
Princes of Florence, The - #2 on my top 10 games - I don't play it nearly enough
St. Petersburg - played this for the second time and still haven't fully grasped the strategy, but i'm up for trying again
Werewolves of Miller's Hollow

The Great Global Warming Swindle

I consider myself a pretty open-minded individual with moderate to conservative political views. While I am pro-life, pro-War on Terror and opposed to "Big Government", I also oppose corporate subsidies, favor greater aid to the developing world, and like to think of myself as environmentally friendly (renew, re-use and recycle!). Lately I believe that the apocalyptic tone of the current global warming debate has gotten out of hand. At times, global warming proponents remind me of hardcore religious fundamentalists. A healthy dose of skepticism is in order and the BBC has provided that in this documentary. I'm posting part one of eight here and you can find the other parts here.

Oscar Review

I managed a respectable 14 of 24, but missed Best Picture. I did predict a few surprises, most notably Best Foreign Language Film and Best Supporting Actor. I finished in second place in both Mark's birdbath (3-way tie) and Jeff's pool, and I enjoyed following Jeff's blog commentary during the broadcast.

Correct: 1Best Director, 2Best Actor, 3Best Actress, 4Best Supporting Actor, 5Best Supporting Actress, 6Best Original Screenplay, 7Best Adapted Screenplay, 8Cinematography, 9Art Direction, 10Best Makeup, 11Sound Mixing, 12Best Visual Effects, 13Best Foreign Language Film, and 14Best Documentary Feature

I was 6 of 7 in the majors, 5 of 8 in the technical, 2 of 2 in the writing, 1 of 1 in the Political Statement category (aka Best Documentary), and struck out in the animated (Cars was sideswiped and Hoodwinked should have been nominated!), music (Note: multiple nominations from one film always cancel each other out) and short form categories.

UPDATE: Last year I correctly predicted 14 as well (3rd place in both pools), and in 2005 I correctly predicted 13 (1st in Jeff's pool and 2nd in Mark's). My best performance was in 2004 with 17 of 24 (the year LOTR:ROTK won everything).

2007 Oscar Picks

Here are my picks for which films I think will win on Sunday (my personal preferences or 2nd choices are in parentheses). I've submitted these in two Oscar pools.

Best Picture: Little Miss Sunshine (Letters from Iwo Jima)
Best Director: Martin Scorsese for The Departed (Paul Greengrass)
Best Actor: Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland
Best Actress: Helen Mirren in The Queen
Best Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin in Little Miss Sunshine
Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls (Abigail Breslin)
Best Original Screenplay: Little Miss Sunshine (Letters from Iwo Jima)
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Departed
Cinematography: Pan's Labyrinth
Editing: United 93
Art Direction: Pan's Labyrinth
Costume Design: Dreamgirls
Original Score: Pan's Labyrinth
Original Song: "Listen" — Dreamgirls
Best Makeup: Pan's Labyrinth
Sound Editing: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Sound Mixing: Dreamgirls
Best Visual Effects: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Best Animated Feature Film: Cars
Best Foreign Language Film: The Lives of Others — Germany
Best Documentary Feature: An Inconvenient Truth (Deliver Us From Evil)
Best Documentary Short: Rehearsing a Dream
Best Live Action Short: Helmer & Son
Best Animated Short: Maestro

Our Winter Film Fest

The winter months are the perfect time to catch up on all the movies we missed last year due to the Oscar rush, the cold weather and the lack of any good new releases. Since my last post about movies, we've managed to watch seven. Here's the list:

Over the Hedge
An above average animated flick - William Shatner and Steve Carell steal the show - and the commonalities with Hoodwinked are uncanny (zany squirrels and Ben Folds for starters).

Cars
Fantastic animation and a pretty good story line, yet it failed to have as much memorable dialogue as past Pixar movies (we quote a lot of Nemo and Incredibles around our house).

United 93
This film may be the best drama we've seen in a long while. It is inspiring without being sentimental. During the final ten minutes, I was sitting at the edge of my seat hoping beyond reason that the passengers would "win" in the end. And in one sense, they did.

X-Men: The Last Stand
This "final" installment in the X-men franchise is fun, but doesn't live up to the quality of the first two. It ultimately suffered from too many plot lines.

Little Miss Sunshine
This is the "buzz movie" of 2006, I can only echo the praise this little indie film has already received. Great acting, great soundtrack, great story, and great laughs. The deleted scenes on the dvd are a must see.

World Trade Center
The second 9/11 film isn't quite as good as United 93 even though it is more hopeful in tone. The story though is captivating and miraculous. Oliver Stone surprised me with a film that strikes just the right tone at the five-year anniversary.

Inside Man
This is just an okay heist flick. Not quite up to par with Ocean's 11 or the Italian Job, but still pretty good.

My revised must see list includes: Flags of Our Fathers, Letters From Iwo Jima, Sophie Scholl, Casino Royale, Wordplay, Marie Antoinette, The Pursuit of Happyness, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, Stranger Than Fiction, Fast Food Nation, Thank You for Smoking, A Prairie Home Companion, Nacho Libre, and The Queen. Somehow I don't think winter is going to last long enough to see all these (at least I hope it doesn't).

Nashville Snowmen

He isn't much, but its all I could manage this morning considering the lack of good packing snow.

After completing him, Addy asked me "Daddy, does the snowman wear shoes?"

This afternoon, Janell told Addy that he was likely melting and that he could not come inside. She replied, "I guess I'll give him a hug." And she went outside and did just that.

A blonde walks into a library....

This video will passed around every library in the world...



update: apparently this has been up on youtube for months, but hey its still hilarious.

Your Career Personality: Empathetic, Loyal, and People-Oriented

Your Ideal Careers: Chef Corporate trainer Designer Events Coordinator Librarian Politician Psychologist Small Business Owner Social Worker Teacher

The Quick and Dirty Career Test

Reconsilosec

Check out more videos here.

Hatip: aka Pastor Guy, Body Piercing Saved My Life and Think Christian

Global Rich List

I'm the 59,805,858 richest person on earth! Discover how rich you are! >>

I've said before that I feel blessed to be an American, and websites like this illustrate just how blessed I am. I feel humbled with this knowledge because I have done relatively little to earn such wealth and privilege (we don't choose the country of our birth). Living in America, it is easy to get caught up in the materialistic trap of comparing ourselves with others who have more. But the Bible and Christ compel me to to look in the other direction and see just how much I already have compared to the rest of the world. I pray that I use the resources at my disposal wisely.

Sealand for Sale

No its not a water park. It's a sovereign principality (micronation), and according to FoxNews, it's for sale. The "island" was originally built by the British Navy 6 miles off the English coast during WWII. After the war, it was abandoned in international waters. During the 1960s, an entrepreneur moved in and claimed sovereignty - much to chagrin of the British government. Read more of the fascinating history at the official Sealand website and at Wikipedia.

How cool is that? So if anyone wants to loan me a few hundred million dollars, I'd be much obliged ;-)

Is Harry Potter great literature?

I consider myself a fan of JK Rowling's Harry Potter series (I've read each of the books and watched the movies). However, I've always thought of the series as just children's literature and fun summer vacation reading - almost a guilty pleasure.

Thanks to the Hogwarts Professor, I'll won't feel guilty anymore. Check out what he has to say about the literary (and even spiritual) value of the series and his speculation on the 7th and final book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Warning this blog says its for the "serious reader of Harry Potter" and much of what he says may make your brain hurt (no pain, no gain).

hat tip: Filmchat