ben heading there ...

to wordpress that is ... i'm working on moving all my stuff over to my new blog ... hopefully both of you who read this will follow me there ... the new addy is http://benmatthews.wordpress.com and once i get it all tweaked i'll try to link everything there to make it easy ...

Lots of Updates Coming

It's been a busy month ... in D.C. and then Vegas ... got lots of updates and photos to post so look for them soon ... if anyone still reads this.

Irony of Izzy ...

So, Izzy blows a huge save and the next day he's awarded the "Delivery Man of the Month Award" by DHL ... gotta love that.

Bonds: "Go Watch Albert Pujols"

He did it. Or they did it. The steroids, that is. Or we did it. Maybe it was the fans who let this happen. Who knows. Regardless, Bonds tied the Babe today. He hit 714. (or was that 616... interesting read over here...) To be honest, I really can't stand the man ... or at least the public persona I know of the man. But he did say something today that struck me. Something that made me realize he has a few healthy brain cells left ... during his news conference he said he was glad this was over and that people should go watch Albert Pujols now. We have been, Barry. We have been. And it's a great show.

A.J. O.K.?

So ... I'm not a Chicago baseball fan ... but I happened to watch the highlights of the collision at home today during the Cubs vs. Sox game ... and I gotta say, where they heck was A.J. going after he tagged the plate? Looked to me like he should have gotten up and walked to his dugout, but he pulled out a move from the old WWf/WCW days and starting stomping right toward Barrett. I don't support what Barrett did, but I don't blame him for it either. AJ's been asking for it for awhile if you ask me. Go watch it for yourself and tell me what you think ... http://espn.go.com/

Reason Number 2,345,618...

... that I think Albert Pujols is one of the best to ever play the game: By hitting his 19th home run in the Cardinals' 37th game, Pujols reached 19 in fewer contests than any player in Major League history. The previous record was 40 games, set by Mickey Mantle in 1956 and tied by Luis Gonzalez in 2001. The man is freaking unbelievable.

Oh. My. Goodness.

Please, no. Say it ain't so!

Reason Number 2,345,617...

... that I think Albert Pujols is one of the best to ever play the game: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060425&content_id=1416975&vkey=news_stl&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl He plays the game right, owns it when he makes a mistake, and is always about the bigger picture, in baseball and in life. Gotta love it.

Next Weekend

I'm looking forward to next weekend. A few days away ... no kids ... Orlando, Florida ... We'll be staying here: And spending time here: And here: And maybe here: And apparently the wives will be spending some time doing this: Or this: And, we'll probably spend some time watching the LPGA stars at the Ginn Open here (especially since that's why we're going in the first place ... part of my compensation for doing some design work for the event is the weekend there!):

Catchin' Up, Catchin' All ...

Man, things have been busy ... I thought about making several different posts, but I think I'll just do a catch-all here to catch-up ... Visits from the Tooth Fairy: Hannah lost her two middle teeth on the bottom within the past couple weeks and we've entered the world of the Tooth Fairy ... in fact the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny both visited our house Sunday morning ... talk about an odd couple. I guess this means she's growing up. And I gotta tell ya, I'm not lovin' that so much. The Day of the 'ectomies: Thursday my middle baby, Lily, hd a couple 'ectomies ... of the tonsil and adenoid varieties. What a trooper! She didn't even cry (I'll try to get a picture on here soon) ... She's recovering well, but daddy has taken a couple days off work to help take care of her ... one of the plusses of that has been a chance to catch up on some things, to watch the Cards when they played Friday, and to spend some extra time with my girls. Hey, Hey, Hey ... It's Phat Albert's Day Pujols is un-freakin-believable. He took the Reds deep three times Sunday afternoon, including a walk-off 2-run shot in the bottom of the ninth with the Cards trailing 7-6. I've watched a lot of baseball in my life. I've seen some pretty good players - but I've never watched one THIS good. Period. And yet, Jerry Narron, the Reds manager, after witnessing Pujols' dominance had this to say ... "He's pretty good," he said. "He's a pretty good player. " Really Jerry? Are you going for the ESPY for the biggest understatement of the year? Phat Albert is Phenomenal ... "Hey, hey hey ... it's Phat Albert!" ... Can't Wait for the Code It's gonna be here soon. And I'll be honest, I really can't wait for the DaVinci Code to come out on film. Dan Brown has taken a lot of heat for the FICTIONAL book. Some have bashed him for his unorthodox take on history and theology. Other have bashed him for the style of his prose. I'm gonna be honest ... I don't agree with his theology, but I find his take interesting. And personally, the prose pulled me in - I couldn't put it down. Tom Hanks wasn't my first choice for Robert Langdon (well, I was my first choice, but others were on my list over him) ... but I've seen him nail part after part so I'm excited to see him pull this one off ... and Ron Howard - pure genius. Glimpses of Heaven In the past few weeks I've caught a few glimpses of heaven that I just had to share. A couple weeks ago, Arnold Pasion, a campus minister in the Philipines, shared the sermon at Jacob's Well. The most touching part, besides his story, was listening to him pray in his native tongue. Then on Good Friday, Peter Nevi and his family came and shared their story - absolutely amazing. Most of his family was killed by rebels in Africa 15 years ago ... and his story is an amazing testimony of what God has done ... Finally, on Easter Sunday, Francisco played his violin with our worship band again, which is always a blessing. At the end of the service we were reciting the Lord's Prayer together ... Francisco recited it in his native tongue. Something about hearing someone pray in their own language that is amazing .... I don't know why. Maybe it's the fact that I can't understand the words, but I can completely tell the heart. Suits. Me. Fine. I bought a couple new suits this week ... pretty pumped about that. I bought this charcoal grey 4-button: And this 3-button navy pinstripe: I've always enjoyed dressing nicely and never cared much for the "corporate casual" look, which was really nothing more than an excuse for men with no fashion sense to wear their Dockers, loafers with no socks, and polo shirts with curled collars and hanger bumps ... I always feel the best in a nice suit, pressed french-cuff shirt and tie. Call me crazy, but I like it. Suits. Me. Fine. Banquet Encounter Recently went to encounter's Spring Banquet at ISU ... I love this ministry and love the people involved with it ... God is doing some amazing things there and I'm honored to be a small part of that. Changes on the Horizon? I'm growing a little tired of my template here... you'd think someone who did graphic and web design for a living (okay I teach for a living, I do design work because I love it and it pads the income a bit) would have something that looked a little better than this. I've been playing with some ideas -- we'll see if they come to fruition.

An Open Letter to Izzy

Izzy: I just want you to know that you don't have to make every save opportunity more difficult. And, please don't compound my lack of trust in you by making statements like: "It's perfect," Isringhausen said. "You couldn't ask for a better situation. You go out there with a three-run lead, work on something a little bit and not have to worry about it. I made it kind of interesting, but it wouldn't be me if I didn't." I'm all for not making it interesting. Thanks.

A Sweet Swing

I love Albert Pujols. I love watching him play baseball, I love knowing he's a Cardinal. Last night he hit his 3rd home run of the year ... in all of 2 games. And he hit a pitch out of the park that he shouldn't have even touched! In fact, Brett Myers, who threw the pitch to Pujols last night said:

"That was a purpose pitch to set him up," Myers said. "That was impressive. Not too many guys in the world can do that."

Exactly. There aren't too many like him. Just take a look at the ball he took yard ....

Praying for some Sun to Shine on a New Day

I've lived the Groundhog Day life before ... but maybe never like this ... Join with me in praying for a new day, a new light, a new life.

Spring Forward, Rolen Back

Well, today was a good day for my beloved Birds ... Pujols picks up where he left off with 2 homers on 2-2 hitting, Carpenter gets his first win of the year, Miles and Eckstein, who have to be the tiniest middle-infield combo ever, both had good days, and Scott Rolen came chargin' back with 2 hits in the 4th inning, including a grand slam. I love baseball season. Love. It. Go Cards...

It's Here

*** G O C A R D S ! ***

the times, they are a'changin'

The last week has meant big changes for me. It all started last Saturday. I woke up early to beat the rush at the DMV. My license expires tomorrow and for the first time in almost 10 years I actually had to go to the DMV to renew my license. Last time I got to call it in, since my driving record was clear, and my good friend Jesse White sent me a nice little renewal sticker to put on the back.. Problem with the license was it was the old-school Illinos version -- the laminated kind with my picture from when I turned 21! I always got lots of looks when I got carded ... no one ever believed it was a real license, because, according to them "I've never seen one like this before" ...well that's because about forever ago they started making all our licenses look like credit cards and apparently everyone in the state had one of those except for me. Sorry, I liked my old-school license and I was holding out! The other good thing about the old license was that it still listed my weight at 200 ... umm, yeah, I weighed that once. (by the way, they transfered that info to my new license too ... so according to the State, I still weight 200!). So, long story short, the first big chnage was a new license for Ben. And, yes, I do look good in my picture! The next big change actually occurs tomorrow, though my students celebrated it with me today by throwing me a surprise party, complete with a crate full of gifts and an amazing cake (see the picture!) ... Tomorrow I turn 30. I guess that means I can no longer officially refer to myself as a young adult? Man, do I feel old. It's been a busy week, but all-in-all it's been a good one. Lots of changes, but lots of things to celebrate as well. UPDATE: here's Ainsley enjoying the cake ... oh, to be young again.

March Madness

I titled this post "March Madness" ... more for convenience than anything else. I just hope I don't get sued for using a trademarked phrase. I mean it's not like I said "three-peat" or "twelfth man" or something. So Pat Riley and Texas A & M can just back off ... Anyway, this is where I'll post updates and notes related to one of my favorite times of the year ... the NCAA Tournament and other March Madness-related items. CONFERENCE UPDATE: update 1: Missouri Valley: 2-2 with wins over 10th seed Seton Hall and 4th seed Kansas. update 2: the MVC goes to 3-2 with WSU's win over 2nd seed Tennessee. update 3: with Bradley's win over 5th seeded Pitt, Valley moves to 4-2 Oh, and by the way, they are also 2-0 in the NIT after the first round. update 4: good stuff in the MVC NCAA notebook What's that Billy Packer? Do I hear you chomping on crow? update 1: I think I may have just heard him choke. update 2: where's he been ... no word from him in days. is he in an underground bunker with Cheney? By the way, let's use Packer's logic (and his sidekick Nantz isn't free from the flames either) and see how that plays out for perennial power Kansas ... after the MVC got four teams in, one of their arguments was: "Past NCAA performance by teams from power conferences dwarfs that of teams from leagues like the Valley, and should be kept in mind when issuing bids. " So, since Kansas has been upset the past two years (last year by non-scholarship Patriot League Bucknell and this year by 13th seed Bradley from the lowly MVC) ... I guess that IF they get in as an at-large next year they should be seeded accordingly? Maybe 11th or 12th? And since the Big Ten has been sucking it up this year, maybe they should only get a couple teams in this year ... I mean the MVC fared better than they did but the Big Ten got 6 schools in - that's not fair is it Billy? At least this guy seems to get it ... DUKE UPDATE: Everyone seems to love Duke ... the officials, the commentators ... I'd at least like to see a team get a fair shake against them. A hand-check is a hand-check on both ends of the floor. I have the utmost respect for Coach K ... but they aren't untouchables. BIG 10 UPDATE: I don't wanna hear one more Big Ten fan, which I somewhat consider myself, complaining about officiating. You beat each other up all year and think you can come do it at the Dance ... problem is, this Dance has chaperones. Furthermore, none of you were very good this year anyway ... which is why ALL SIX TEAMS ARE OUT of the tourney after the first 2 rounds. IN OTHER NEWS: There's also another men's DI tourney going on ... the NIT ... And basketball's latest cry-baby is probably crying even bigger tears tonight ... Gary Williams, one of the biggest outspoken critics of the Missouri Valley, took his Terps to the NIT and got sent home by Manhattan ... So, Gary, wanna join Packer for some crow? It gets even better ... check this out, from here: "MVC vs. Maryland: The Missouri Valley Conference isn't letting Gary Williams off the hook. More than half the schools in the league have called the Maryland offices to schedule a home-and-home series with the Terps in response to Williams' tough-talking quotes earlier this month in the Washington Post. Love it."

It's a Small World, After All

Just Pete, NASA Janet (my personal favorite, btw), The Blue Dog Banter Boys ... some fellow central Illinoisians who have taken the podcast world by storm ... or something like that. Today they get featured in the Pantagraph ... So am I famous because I know famous people? Oh wait, I got an even bigger spread in the Pantagraph a couple years ago for my baseball trip - so maybe I'm the one that launched them to fame? :)

Is the Valley Peaking?

Interesting article over at espn.com on the Missouri Valley. Growing up in Normal, the home of Illinois State, I've long been a Valley follower and supporter. I've often felt they deserved more respect than they got. Over the past several years, some Valley teams have made some noise on the national scene, both in the regular season and in the tourney ... Tubby's Tulsa teams, Korver's Creighton teams, Weber's Salukis ... This year the MVC got a lot of press ... mostly positive during the year, and mostly deserved. They had great RPI rankings (and still do, by the way, in fact Missouri State has their highest at 21 and didn't even get in the tourney!), beat some good teams, played some others competitively. And they got 4 teams into the tourney field. And then the same media darlings who had been talking the MVC up started questioning their validity of the Valley. I don't know what the results will be ... I do know that you don't have to win there to deserve to be there ... 64 teams lose there every year. I know I do hope they can silence their critics by showing some class, both on and off the court. UPDATE: Missouri Valley Conference 1 Big East 0 For more updates, visit the March Madness post - at the top ...

The Ball is Tipped ...

It's here. One of my favorite times of year. March Madness. I can already hear the closing song in my head ... and yes, it gets me teary-eyed every year. And yes, my wife makes fun of me for that every year. But I'm gonna love this while it lasts. And I'll cry when it's over. I always do.

Jake Parrillo for Village Trustee

Recently Jake Parrillo, over at Rhodes School, put out a plea for some help with his campaign signs. I thought I'd help a brother out, so I got in touch with him, put a few ideas together, and sent it over ... He liked it, and says he's gonna use it. I'll post that design here later - it's simple since it was a spec design, so it only took me 20 minutes or so. Maybe as payment, he'll give me some props over there ... hint, hint. I can't vote for him, but if you can, maybe you can help him out too ... and let me know if you've seen any signs with the new design.

IWU to Be Featured on ESPN's "Outside the Lines"

From http://www2.iwu.edu/news/: The Illinois Wesleyan men's basketball team will be featured on the ESPN nationally-televised program "Outside the Lines", which will be aired locally at 12:40 a.m. Thursday, March 16 (note time change). ESPN crews have followed the Titans the past two weekends in Wisconsin and reporter Steve Cyphers was on campus March 7 to interview players Keelan Amelianovich, Adam Dauksas and former basketball coach and current athletic director Dennie Bridges. The focus of the story has been on IWU's run in the NCAA Division III tournament along with that of Lincoln (Pa.), who was eliminated from the tournament last weekend. -------------- From Me: Go Titans!

Gas Prices

This is interesting ... ranks gas prices by zip code ... not completely updated, but an interesting resource ... put in your zip code and see where you can get the cheapest gas! http://autos.msn.com/everyday/gasstations.aspx?zip=61761

"Just Keep Dreaming ..."

The other day I was reading through my newest copy of Sports Illustrated ... and I came across a little piece about an autistic kid in New York who did some amazing things in a high school basketball game. I was intrigued. So I did some searching and found the story here. I was moved to tears. Watch the video on that page and you might be too. I think part of me was so moved because I have an autistic student in my class this year. I was thrilled to see the kind of love and support JMac received by the students at his high school. I can only hope every one of my students gets to feel the way he must have felt that night ... JMac's dreams came true. And in his words: "I'm not really that different," he said. "I don't really care about this autistic situation, really. It's just the way I am. The advice I'd give to autistic people is just keep working, just keep dreaming, you'll get your chance and you'll do it." And that's why I teach.

J-zames L-zipton

Gotta love this ... James Lipton is K Fed ... Looks like NBC is getting into the "Viral Video" thing too! http://www.nbc.com/Video/ I promise to get less random with my posts and write something worth reading soon :)

Every Office Needs an Office Linebacker

This video is HI-larious ... from Google Video - you're not cool unless you GoogleVideo... If you can't see the video below, try going to this link: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6238953685626218421&q=office+linebacker

"Duck" Hunt

I guess in light of recent events, the phrase "duck hunt" might have new meaning ... like "when hunting with the VP, duck!" ... and this little game is a HI-larious take-off of the two: http://www.popdrain.com/videos/cheneyhuntgame.swf

What's So Great About Acuity?

I was re-reading some articles from a TIME magazine I got a few weeks ago (I often don't have time or interest to read a magazine front to back, or back to front, so I often read bits and pieces at a time) ... I came across a great piece by Walter Kirn entitled "What's So Great About Acuity?" ... it was one of those articles I sat and read and though ... "man, I could have written that -- i feel that way too!" ... You can read the article online, or at least part of it, using the link below: http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,1147171,00.html

Right Now...

Today has been a good day ... got up early, got some work done for clients and feeling accomlished and happy. Love to grab that cup of fresh coffee and sit down to read the news and some of my favorite bloggers ... kind of my morning routine at times. Feeling in an update mood, so here you go ... right now I'm: WEARING my new favorite pants - navy blue/tan pinstripe khakis from AE, with a tan Old Navy v-neck, white t-shirt and my tan suede shoes. comfortable, casual and loving it. WISHING I could sit in my chair and nap, read and drink coffee all day. Not happening though. WONDERING What I could be doing now that would be more productive ... also not happening. WORKING On a couple big client projects ... an ad for one client that will be in Sports Illustrated next month, a couple political campaign websites... WEADING (couldn't resist) Teacher Man by Frank McCourt, Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell, The People of Sparks by DuPrau ... just finished Our Endangered Values by Jimmy Carter and Three Nights in August by Bizzinger (with Tony LaRussa) WOOKING (couldn't resist, again...) at some of my favorite blogs and daily stops ...

Scairy Pairy

I got an email from the Oberweis for Governor campaign today. The first paragraph said:

Phyllis Schlafley ranks with Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II as a gifted and accomplished world leader for freedom and respect for life. I am honored to have her endorsement and her active participation in our campaign.

Now, my friends, that is one scary pairy ... the scary dairy-man and the educator-hater. I actually can't believe he used Phyllis Schlafly's name (which they actually misspelled in their email - maybe they need some of that homeschool education PS spouts about) in the same breath as Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II ... they both are turning in the graves right now. Just further evidence that there are better choices in this campaign ... IMHO.

There He Goes Again, Too ...

Bono's at it again. Thank goodness! I'm not overly concerned with what you think of Bono or his salvation or any of that ... these are good words ... http://www.data.org/archives/000774.php

There He Goes Again ....

PR needs some serious p.r. help ... http://mediamatters.org/items/200602030003

What to do ... what to do?

I received the following today in an email forwarded to me by a friend:

Please forward this e-mail message to your family and friends! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SPECIAL ALERT! NBC to mock the Crucifixion of Christ Dear ###, NBC, fresh from giving us the anti-Christian The Book of Daniel, has decided to hit back at the Christian community by presenting an episode of Will and Grace which mocks the crucifixion of Christ.

On the April 13 edition of NBC's Will and Grace, Britney Spears will appear as a Christian conservative sidekick to Sean Hayes' homosexual character, Jack, who hosts his own talk show.

Jack's fictional network, Out TV, is bought by a Christian TV network, leading to Spears contributing a cooking segment called "Cruci-fixin's." To further denigrate Christianity, NBC chose to air it the night before Good Friday. Click Here to read the Associated Press article.

NBC does not treat Jews, Muslins or other religions with such disrespect. Yet the network demonstrates a deep of hostility toward followers of Christ.

TAKE ACTION

• Call your local NBC affiliate and ask them not to air the April 13 episode of Will and Grace. Ask others to call. Click here to find your local NBC station.
• Click here to send a letter to NBC Chairman Bob Wright.
• Ask your pastor to run a notice in your church bulletins and newsletters and request members to go to www.afa.net and send the email to NBC Chairman Wright.
• Click here to print out a petition(pdf) asking your local NBC affiliate not to air the April 13 episode and distribute it to your Sunday School class and fellow church members. Next, and this is very important, please forward this to your friends and family today!
• If you feel our efforts are worthy, would you consider making a small donation to help us in this effort. Click here to make your donation.

Thanks for caring enough to get involved. Sincerely, Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and ChairmanAmerican Family Association P.S. Please forward this e-mail message to your family and friends!

------------------------------ So here's just some random thoughts, in no particular order, with no particular claim to truth or anything - just what's swirling around in my head and heart ...

I think while I was reading it my jaw dropped. I get a little weird feeling in my gut and heart every time I read one of these things. I don't know what to do ... or what to think. Is it weird that as I "get older" I get less sure about what I think sometimes? Some of the hard lines I used to take tend to get a bit softer. Is that good? bad? natural?

I've never been a big fan of this kind of thing ... and these things obviously don't accomplish the state goal. NBC isn't going to pull the episode. If anything, an action like this will just stir things up more.

Believe me, I'm not anti-confrontation (many would say just the opposite). But I do think we have to choose our battles wisely. It's just always amazed me that "Christians" get upset with non-Christians for doing "non-Christian" things. Why would we expect someone to create pro-Christian media when that's not their viewpoint, perspective, worldview?

(insert tongue into cheek) ... I mean we all know anyone who watches Will & Grace is already going "you know where" anyway. In fact, anyone who has a "devil-box" in their living room is joining them ... (remove tongue from cheek)

I wonder sometimes how many of these people calling for boycotts have even seen, read or heard the things they call on others to rail against. Several years ago there was a show on called "Nothing Sacred" ... Dobson and his boys called for a boycott because of the way it portrayed the clergy ... and I loved the show. It was the most realistic portrayal of the clergy I had seen in a long time ... a priest who struggled in his own prayer life, struggled with how to take care of the flock, etc. It was actually refreshing to me, not revolting. I was in ministry at the time and related very well to the themes in the show. Nevermind the droves who have called me sinner for reading, enjoying and sharing the Harry Potter books.

And really, is a play on words truly mocking the crucifixion? To me, it's more mocking "Christian" television and the characters that flow from the golden thrones of TBN, etc. ... not so much mocking Chris't atoning death on the cross -- the church all to often does a good job of that itself.

And at the bottom of the email was a plea for money ... and links to buy books that were "related" ... how sad ... even sadder still? one of the featured books was by Judge Moore (see my previous post) ... scary ...

I guess my heart just breaks sometimes. I am trying so hard to not be judgmental. I don't want to get caught up in these battles among the saved. Growing up the theme of my Chrisitan life was perfection ... more and more I believe the key word of life is not perfection, but REDEMPTION ... it's there I want to focus my energy ... building redemptive relationships, rejoicing in the redemption I see before me every day ... relishing in the redemption I experience over and over again.

What to do ... what to do?

Do "We Need Moore"?

I've fairly recently developed a keen interest in political, especially political campaigns. In fact, my brother and I are honing our skills so that one day we can launch a political consulting firm. It will be a great way for us to blend our talents and gifts, and for me to use my creative skills to help shape campaigns. Anyway, I'm currently working on a couple of campaign websites. Whenever I take on a new project, I like to see what else is out there, to get ideas, etc. And I came across http://www.weneedmoore.com/ ... and all I can say is it scared me. Just read his blog and tell me what you think ...