Beer Brats!

Happy International Beer Brat Day everyone!

(today I had my first beer brat and I gotta say two things: looked terrible; tasted GREAT!)

That is all.

The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter

Sweet beef, baby. I will end up wasting so much money on going to this place.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Theme Park Fly Through
A Map

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Theme Park Map

Happy Chinchilli Day!!!

So, I just found these awesome ads from Vegas.com. It confirmed my suspicions that Fist (Burke and Germania's pet chinchilla) is actually a terrorist who is infiltrating our government. Now his plan is coming all too clear; he is here in Vegas where they celebrate the victory over the chinchillas. None of this making any sense? Just watch the video.

Office Pranks

One of my favorite things about The Office are Jim's pranks. There is something so absolutely hilarious about a practical joke that is pulled off well (but I will add, that some jokes are pointlessly mean and my heart screams, "No!" even while my mouth makes laugh).

This office joke is pretty dang cool.

More DIY videos at 5min.com

For a fun read of pranks that you can do to your office chums...check out this link right HERE.

Who Sucked Up The Video?

I have listened to Superdrag's album In the Valley of Dying Stars almost 10 times through now and it is excellent. Especially the song "In the Warmth of a Tomb." When you get the chance to check out Superdrag (which band has been around for quite a long time now) you should take it.

I now give you the music video to the song that made me want to look into this band, "Sucked Out." I love this song, but the music video is a little disappointing. There is just not much going on in it that makes it worth watching. Ah well.

Superdrag - "Sucked Out"


Papa out.

Harry Potter And The Muggle Struggle Part Four: Humble Little Harry

Well, back by popular demand (technically only one person asked about when I'd get around to completing this little project, but one person can be popular, no? Wouldn't that make her demand a popular demand? You do the math.), is another edition of that old essay of mine. Good luck trying to remember everything that came before. Heh heh...suckers...
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This goodness doesn't come from a lack of temptation to turn bad, though. Harry is a very powerful wizard with great abilities. Most of his peers are incapable of the level of magic he can do. In fact, Harry often out-performs many of his superiors. He is able to perform a defensive spell, called the Patronus Charm, after his professor warns "that the charm might be too advanced for [Harry]. Many qualified wizards have difficulty with it" (Rowling, Prisoner 237). It is the cause of much doubt and confusion for the young wizard, especially when his powers closely parallel those of his enemy Voldemort. He learns that his ability to speak with snakes is very rare and usually only possessed by dark wizards like Voldemort (Rowling, Chamber 196). Harry has often pondered his resemblance to Voldemort and has feared that he was headed down the same path. That is one of the great lessons of the series. As headmaster Dumbledore teaches Harry, "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities" (Rowling, Chamber 333). Edmund M. Kern mentions how Harry "...meets circumstances beyond his control with resolve and accepts that he must maintain his inner goodness and direct it outward in order to act on behalf of others" (15). Harry is constantly placed in situations where he must choose between right or wrong, good or bad, to save himself or to save others. Sometimes he is aware that he is facing a decision between good and evil; other times he's not. Yet, consistently he chooses the side of good.
That is where the morality of Harry's character comes most heavily into play. Here is a boy with tremendous potential, and a great deal of power. He is extremely talented at quidditch, a game that resembles soccer and is played on broomsticks, and is the youngest seeker in over 100 years (Rowling, Sorcerer's 152). He is undoubtedly the most powerful wizard in his school, he's very intelligent (even if his grades don't always reflect it; it's tough to get straight A's when you're saving the world), extremely famous, very wealthy, and to top it all off: he's a good-looking kid. Under those circumstances, it is quite normal for a teenager to get a big head and start to feel pretty superior to the "little people" who adore you. Yet, Harry hates the limelight. He avoids it at all costs. He doesn't like being put up on a pedestal or having fans. He's just as scared of girls and love as anyone else. He could use his powers for personal gain, and to mock those less fortunate than himself, but instead he is always sticking up for the little guy and helping those less fortunate than himself. If that's not a good role-model, than I don't know what is.

Previous: Part Three
Next: Part Five

Who To Play Mr. Bilbo Baggins?

This is such an important choice to me. I am torn between getting someone new who won't carry the baggage of superstar celebrity, or going with a nae that we can trust, because we have seen this actor play a character with depth before.

Anyway, you can go here to see some options that Reelzchannel has come up with. I especially like options 4 & 5 (although more because they are funny and less because I actually think either would do all that great a job).

That is all.

UPDATE: I just corrected the link. Sorry about that... (giggle giggle). Here is the link to the other article anyway, because it might be helpful to someone out there.

Live And Intimate Episode 8: Ben Kweller's Family Tree

Ben Kweller. I love this man. Here he plays "Family Tree" off of his first album Sha Sha for a little live, in-store performance at the Zia Records in Tucson, AZ. For some reason I wasn't invited.

Please do yourself a favor (if you have not already) and go get any of this man's albums. His newest one, Changing Horses, is much more twangy/country than previous ones (which were more of a folky/country). So maybe don't start with that one. It is excellent, but it is a departure from his previous sound and feel.



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The Time Has Come

I have held off making a decision long enough. I think I hesitated partly because I didn't want to get hurt. The other part of my just didn't want to influence all of you--my loyal followers--in your own decision; I used to feel that this was a personal decision that each of us should come to on our own. Now I know different. Too much is at stake.

That is why I have decided to formally announce that I have indeed chosen a side and it is time for you to do the same. Granted I can't force your hand (if I could I would, trust me), so I will have to settle for simply pleading that you follow my lead and join Team Jacob.

Yes. I am Team Jacob.

Join me, and together we can rid the world of Team Edward scum (and by rid the world I really mean just snicker about them when we are quite confident that they can't hear, because I don't want to be responsible for hurting anyone's feelings).

Go Team Jacob. Go.

My Nephews Strike Again

I love these guys. They are hilarious. Anyway, I am going to steal from my sister-in-law's blog and just post the funny conversation that she overheard between two of her boys earlier.

Grant- Did you know Jedi's don't have to go potty?
Spencer- Yeah they do.
Grant- Nuh uh. Then how come they never have to go potty in the movies?!
Spencer- Nobody uses the bathroom in movies.
Grant- I want to be in a movie!!!

A Very Potter Musical

I don't know how Megan stumbled upon this, but I thank Zeus for her finding it. She and I just watched the first two parts of it (I should explain for any who are confused that I work with Megan and we share a prison cell of a cubicle in the back corner) and I can't wait to get off of work so I can finish the whole thing. Anyway, it is too good for me not to share it, and, given the Harry Potter theme today, it seemed more than fitting.
I give you... A Very Potter Musical pt. 1 (go to youtube and search "Very Potter Musical" to find all the rest of it).

300 Dollar Bill, Y'all

That title is so totally a shout out to my boys in Limp Bizkit. This post has nothing to do with them, but earlier this month I was messing with my iTunes and stumbled upon their second album Significant Other. I recommend going back and listening to an album that at one time you thought was stinking awesome, but then you stopped listening to because you realized the band is terribly lame. It was a strange journey that night = total acid trip without the acid or the trip (I pretty much just sat there in my chair).

On to more important things: this is the 3ooth post! Hot dang! It has been a while since I last posted, so I didn't know how to celebrate this day. I didn't want to come whimpering back with some lame post, so I had to find something good. Then, yesterday... it fell into my lap. Many may have seen this already (I know Steven, Jenna, and Sierra certainly have), but even we who have watched it once already should give it another go. We can make this happen people. We can make Quidditch a reality.

Thank you Steven for this amazing gem.

I now give you: Muggle Quidditch.

"Lost" In The News

This cracked me up so much. Thanks for sharing it with my Brett in a Sweet Cream of Tweet that could not be Beat.

Bolivian TV airs photos from LOST as photographs from a French plane's crash. You can't get better than that. I love that Paolo gets credited for them, too. Awesome.

Live And Intimate Episode 7: Jesse Lacey Forgets Himself

I can attest that sometimes shifting from a full band to a smaller, more intimate, acoustic performance can mess up the mojo flow. The rest of the band isn't there to cover up your mistakes, and you tend to feel much more... naked. Jesse Lacey of Brand New proves this in this episode's video. Here, he and guitarist Vincent Accardi decide to set up a somewhat spur of the moment acoustic show in Seattle (when their full band's show in Alaska gets canceled). I'm glad though, because it provided me a good hour+ of entertainment watching all of the youtube clips that sono23 put up after the show. Go check them out.

p.s. I really, really, really love this band.

Jesse Lacey and Vincent Accardi (Brand New) - "Luca"


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MySpace To The Rescue

Recently, Matt and I were talking about Ben Folds (and his Five). Matt asked me which was my favorite BFF album. At the time I really couldn't answer. I sat there knowing that it is either Whatever and Ever Amen--the album that introduced me to BFF, the one I have the most sentimental attachment to, and the one that I have listened to the most--or The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner--which took me much longer to get into, but once I did I grew to absolutely love and be amazed by. Now, I can say that I know, and it is all thanks to MySpace's relatively new feature caled Front to Back (where they have artists/bands play an album in its entirety from front to back). As far as I know, they have only done one of these shows, and they brilliantly began it by inviting Ben Folds (who then called up Darren and Robert) to play Reinhold from front to back. I just watched it finally today (it happened back in September of last year, I knew about it then, and yet I still somehow forgot to watch it until now), and I can now officially say that Reinhold is my favorite (although after I listen to Whatever again...my mind can often be a fickle thing). Watching them play that album is amazing. I cannot stress enough how important it is for you to make time this weekend to sit down for 53 minutes and 15 seconds to watch this amazing show.

MySpace deserves credit for doing something right finally and getting this band back together for even one show was the right thing to do. Plus, mixing in little interviews in between the songs really added a tremendous amount of feeling to what is going on onstage.

One last note, if you haven't listened to Darren Jessee's new band Hotel Lights, I really recommend them. Here is the video for one of the songs from their new album Firecracker People.
"Blue Always Finds Me"

"Lost" Spinoff Show

Read all about it here folks.

Harry Potter And The Muggle Struggle Part Three: Character

First let's examine Harry as a character and as the stories' "hero." In his analysis of the series, Karl Miller calls Harry "a real boy, fully capable of errors, resentments and vexations..." (30). Harry is not perfect. He makes mistakes and suffers for them. Often times, his mistakes cause others to suffer as well. He is brash and impudent at times, and (as will be discussed in greater detail later) he feels an apparent disregard for rules. Harry can be quite lazy at times (especially where school work is involved), and is quick to let his emotions get the best of him. At times, he shows traces of jealousy towards others (including his friends), impatience and mistrust with and for authority, and a sense of superiority in thinking he is always right or at least knows what is best. He is definitely not the typical hero of the fantasy genre. Harry is a normal boy with faults and weaknesses.
A great number of parents feel that Harry is a poor role-model because of these weaknesses. However, many modern literary critics disagree. They see Harry's weaknesses as the real strength behind his goodness. For all of Harry's faults, he still ends up doing what is right and that is what makes him a hero. In his book--The Wisdom of Harry Potter: What Our Favorite Hero Teaches Us About Moral Choices--Edmund M. Kern discusses how Harry is a different type of stoic hero. Kern describes the "old stoic" as unemotional, tediously puritanical, and blindly indifferent to enjoyment and grief (19). Harry doesn't really fit that description very well. However, Kern also mentions other qualities and themes of stoicism which do fit Harry: fatalism, endurance, perseverance, self-discipline, reason, solidarity, empathy, and sacrifice (19). All of these traits are manifest in Harry at different times, and show his quality as a character and role-model.
Besides those listed above, Harry demonstrates many other moral qualities that deserve some attention. One of the most noticeable is loyalty. An example of it is found in the second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, when Harry stood facing his nemesis and remained loyal to Headmaster Dumbledore despite the dangerous consequences of doing so. His loyalty was so great that it summoned Dumbledore's pet phoenix to his aid. Afterward, Dumbledore thanked Harry for showing him loyalty for, as he explained, "Nothing but that could have called [the phoenix] to you" (Rowling, Chamber 332).
That sense of loyalty comes from the great love that Harry's has for his Headmaster. That love motivates him to do great things. It also motivates him to risk everything and endure emotional abuse, physical torment, pain, and possible death for those he holds most dear. In the first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry risks his expulsion from his school and even his own life to stop Lord Voldemort from returning, because he doesn't want those whom he loves to get hurt (Rowling, Sorcerer's 270). Harry also shows his love for others in the way he treats them. He is kind to others, even when they are mocked and disliked. He accepts people for their inner goodness, and not for their social/political status or because there is something in it for him. He even shows love in the form of forgiveness to those whom he should have every right to hate. In the end of the third book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry learns finds the man that betrayed his parents and was responsible for their deaths. Instead of letting his father's best friend kill them--something that the adults present were all advocating--Harry decides to turn him into the authorities. He demonstrated morality and goodness when others wanted revenge (Rowling, Prisoner 375-376).

Previous: Part Two
Next: Part Four

Midnight Train Down To Gerogia

I stumbled upon this amusing little video today, and I thought I'd share it for all of those who--like me-- never watch American Idol.

Gladys Knight, Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey, Jr. singing and dancing for charity.

Live And Intimate Episode 6: Ben Folds Likes The Whoosh Sound

I was going to sit here and cry over the break up of Ben Folds Five for a while, but I just don't feel like being down today. Instead, I will say that Ben Folds' solo music is quite enjoyable and Darren Jesse's Hotel Lights is an excellent band. While neither are as strong as BFF, I am glad for the proliferation of good musics.

Here is Ben Folds playing a Ben Folds Five song, "Kate," at some sort of MySpace gig. I crack up every time I see his foot go flying back to hit the keyboard. Enjoy.


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Harry Potter And The Muggle Struggle Part Two: The Opposition

Here we go again! I wanted to briefly explain that I will be referencing the quotes and research I did for the paper along the way, with my Works Cited page at the end, because plagiarizing ain't my cup of tea. For any who may not be familiar with what that looks like, quotes are referenced in the parenthesis. One last note: I am not making corrections of any kind to the essay. What I turned in and was graded on is what you get.
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Opposition to the series is obvious. On their website, the American Library Association stated that in 2002 the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom "received a total of 515 reports of challenges . . . . A challenge is defined as a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school about a book's content or appropriateness" ("Harry Potter Series..."). From 1999 to 2002, Harry Potter topped the list of most challenged books. In fact, the series has earned a spot among the most challenged books ever ("Harry Potter Series..."). That is significant considering how new the series is--the first book was published in 1998. To become one of the most challenged books ever in such a short time, clearly illustrates the depth of the opposition to Harry Potter. Formal written complaints aren't the only way these parents are protesting however.
Many other steps have been taken by these parents to protect their children from what they consider to be a very harmful influence. In Zeeland, Michigan, the superintendent of schools banned the reading aloud of Harry Potter books and required parental permission for library use ("Cencorship" 22). In his article for the Journal of Contemporary Religion, Michael Ostling reports "We learned of court challenges in Georgia; of Christian booksellers refusing to stock the series; of libraries pulling the books from their shelves; even--in early 2001--of a church-orchestrated book burning in rural Pennsylvania" (5). Such steps and acts demonstrate the deep resentment many Americans feel towards the series.
What is it about Harry Potter that angers and offends so many parents into actions like these? Many of them feel that the material is too dark for children of a young age to be exposed to and that it undermines family values. Many argue that Harry is a poor role model for children due to his obvious disregard for rules. The main complaint though, is regarding the theme of magic and witchcraft in the stories. Explaining the opposition's view, Ben Hubbard wrote "The books, the parents say, give their children the tools for casting spells and brewing potions and will eventually set them on a path toward satanic worship" (17). Perhaps by looking deeper at some of these complaints, we can better understand their validity.

Previous: Part One
Next: Part Three