Random Thoughts

I don't have enough to write a whole entry about one topic so I am going to stick these random thoughts all together.

First I wanted to title this blog entry 'Science Fiction tology" but after the title I really have nothing to write. I feel like the title pretty much says it all.

I want to add Alfredos's to my list of restaurants that I want to try. My waiter tonight at The Grape said that it is a really good Italian place. Warning on the nerd talk...I need to figure out how to do spreadsheets in the blog so I can better keep track of which restaurants I have actually gone to. If you know how to do a table or something similar, let me know.

Another suggested rule for dating...don't text a girl and ask her out on a date especially if you haven't actually talked to her on the phone. Even if you have had multiple conversations in person and over email, text messaging is not the way to a girl's heart.

Speaking of dating, why don't guys just bite the bullet and say these simple words "Can I call you sometime?". Instead they just stand there and say "Be right back, I got to go to the bathroom". Then they continue to stick their head out of the door and look for you and then go back inside. When you throw them a bone and show some interest, they got nothing. After telling my old roommate this she said that I need to just decide to date only hot guys. Apparently as soon as she made this decision, she found her current husband. So here and now, I declare that I am only dating hot guys! I will let you know how it turns out since right now I would just like to date "a" guy - well, if you are one of my friends I know you are thinking that the "a" must stand for a long list of things such as "taller than me" or "funny" or "smart" and you are right, there is a lot hidden behind that "a".

And finally to help kick those Monday blues, here is a pretty funny video.

LLQ - Log of Lost Questions

The show Lost creates as many questions as it answers each episode. In order to keep up with the questions, I decided to start my own question log. I will try to update them with the answers, if the answers every come. So based on last night's finale, you can ponder the following question until the Fall season.

1. How is Hurly going to find the camp? - Hurley isn't a tracker, I think he is going to get lost.
2. How does Desmond's girlfriend know that she need to look for a magnetic force in order to find Desmond? Maybe she doesn't know the two are connected, so if that is the case, why is she tracking big magnetic fields?
3. Are Mr Eko, Desmond, and John dead? - I hope not! I would like to see Desmond as a new character.
4. What's up with the people in Russia? - Maybe they are responsible for the polar bears.
5. Is the "What does one polar bear say to another polar bear?" code for something?
6. What's up with the wierdo Hanso Foundation comerial and the even wierder websites that they refer you to?
7. If the key destroyed the machine where you have to enter the code every 108 mins, how did that help? - Now nothing is keeping the magnet from discharging. I think I may have missed something about the whole key thing.
8. Did Libby's husband's death cause her to go crazy? Was she crazy before or after she met Desmond?
9. Was the companion in the hatch, Katie's Dad (also Sayid's trainer)? - This is from my co-worker.
10. Will Walt and Michael really be rescued? - They can't be off the show because we still know nothing about Walt's powers.
11. If the "Others" are good, why do they have people tied up?
12. What's up with the "Other's" costumes?
13. What will they do with Kate, Sawyer, and Jack? And what was that look between Kate and Jack? Love?
14. What is that mysterious black smoke in the jungle?
15. What is that underground machine in the jungle?
16. Why did Jack think that the "Others" would attack them if they didn't follow Michale into their trap? - They could have just gone back to the beach.
17. What was that bright light and noise? Did it bring down "another plane"? - Maybe we will have "other plane people" next seaon.
18. Why do we still watch this show? - It is about nothing really.
19. What's up with that combo of numbers? - 4 8 15 16 23 42
20. What brought this group to the island? How are they all related?
21. Why was Locke's ability to walk restored on the island?

History of Dance by Comedian Judson Laipply

I am sure that you have seen this guy out at the club or maybe you have been this guy at the club. This is the funniest 6 minutes I have seen in quite awhile. Make sure you take notes so you can bust out some of these moves next time you are out in the club. Also check out Judson's website.

Allergic to the sun?

Do you sneeze when you walk outside and look at the sun? If you answered yes then you are among the 17-25% of the population that does. Since I sneeze in the sun too, I thought I would help spread some knowledge on the subject.

Sneezing in the sun is known as "photic sneeze syndrome" or "photic sneeze reflex" or the "achoo syndrome". According to Wikepedia the sneeze reflex is caused by: "The probable cause is a congenital malfunction in nerve signals in the trigeminal nerve nucleus. The fifth cranial nerve, called the trigeminal nerve, is apparently responsible for sneezes. Research suggests that some people have an association between this nerve and the nerve that transmits visual impulses to the brain. Overstimulation of the optic nerve triggers the trigeminal nerve, and this causes the photic sneeze reflex. Another theory suggests that tears leaking into the nose through the nasolacrimal duct are a cause of the photic sneeze reflex. The speed of the reflex seems to favour the first theory, as it happens much too quickly for tears to be generated and drain into the nose. In addition this sneeze reflex can be brought on by a sudden inhaling of cold air or a strong flavor such as a strong mint gum. This implies an overstimulation of any nerve close to the trigeminal nerve can cause the sneeze reflex."

So if you are a doctor and can decipher that then you are steps ahead of me. Basically there is a nerve that triggers a sneeze when you are exposed to bright light. If you notice that you sneeze in the sun, look at your family tree becasue it is a hereditary trait so some other family members probably do it too.

Summer Fun in the ATL

One of my favorite things about living in Atlanta, are the summer activities. There are so many things to do and see and it is great to be outside. In case you are new to the area or want to do something new this summer, I have put together a list of some of the great things you can do around town.

Screen on the Green - TNT shows movies every Thurs night in the month of June on a big screen in Piedmont Park.

Movies at the Fox - Recent movies are shown at the Fabulous Fox Theatre throughout the summer. Most shows are on Monday nights.

Restaurant Week - This is one of the best kept secrets in Atlanta. For one week in Atlanta, some of the high end restaurants in the downtown area get together and offer a three-course dinner menu for $26 plus tip. This has gotten so popular that you need to make reservations several weeks in advance. I let you in on this secret so don't take my reservations:) Note to those who have gone before, the price has gone up and the week is in July this year.

Hiking - There are so many trails near the Atlanta area that I would recommend getting one of the Georgia Trails book so you can find the one for you. You can see waterfalls at X or climb a gorge at Tallulah Gorge. The Sweetwater Park also has a lot of good trails and you can always enjoy a Sweetwater 420 or Blue after your hike!

ABC and Sweetwater Brewery Tours - Speaking of beer, you can't go wrong with an early evening tour of a brewery. Sweetwater has tours on Thurs starting at 420 and Atlanta Brewing Company has tours at 5pm on Fridays.

Starlight Drive-In - Did you think that drive-ins went by the wayside after the 50s? This great theatre has a good two-for-one special. Bring a picnic and enjoy the show.

Silver Comet Trail - The first thing I want to do every Spring is to get out my rollerblades and rollerblade down this relatively flat trail (well miles 0-10 are flat)that use to be railroad tracks. My advice is to start at mile 0, blade to mile 4 and come back. That is a good workout. If you don't have your own rollerblades or prefer to bike, you can rent both at the Depot at Mile 4.

Braves game - While the Braves game may be cheesy, there is nothing like $5 tickets on a summer day where you can kick back and enjoy a beer and good times with your friends.

First Thurs Art Walk - I can't personally vouch for this activity but it has been on my Summer of Fun To Do List for quiet awhile. Every first Thurs of the month, art galleries open their doors for visitors to enjoy the art of downtown.

Some fun that lasts all year but are also good summer time activities:
Shakespeare Tavern - Midtown theatre that offers dinner and a play throughout the year.

Martinis at IMAX - Throughout the year, Fernbank offers several movies on their IMAX screen. Martinis at IMAX is on Friday nights.

Whole World Theatre - Improv comedy at a good midtown location.

Now that I have given all my secrets away, enjoy your summer in Atlanta!

Storyline - Part 3

I heard one of the best sermons that Andy Stanley has ever done (4/23/06). For me it helped put all the Bible and what it means in simple terms that make sense. He explained the bible's history and how we fit into the picture. Basically, to explain the bible's history, you just need to remember eight words:
Create -> Brokenness -> Promise -> Law -> Rebellion -> Grace -> Spirit -> Eternity

Or course Andy does a lot better of explaining this than I can so I recommend that you go online to hear or watch his sermon at Buckhead Church or click here.

These are just my notes from the sermon but I will do my best to summarize what Andy talked about. Remember listening or watching him will make a million times more sense than just reading my notes. That is my disclaimer!

My Notes:

The bible is a collection of writing from 1400BC to 60A and it tells 1 story by a group of 40+ writers who never met. The theme of the bible is a story of redemption and story of God. We will never sense the story of our life until we undstand the context/understand God's story.

Create -> Brokenness -> Promise -> Law -> Rebellion -> Grace -> Spirit -> Eternity

Creation: One rule was made by God and the authority of the world was given to Adam and Eve. See Genesis 3.

Brokenness: The one rule was broken and everything under Adam and Eve's authority was broken. This explains why good things happen to bad people and why bad things happen to good people. This explains why things feel off, random acts of cruely, birth defects, etc.

Promise: God makes a promise with Abraham to bless all pepole who live thru Abraham (see Genesis 12: 1-3). God promised Abraham that his name would be greate - think about how many people know his name now. Do you know his name?

Law: Moses takes God's people out of slavery. Through Moses we discover the values of God with the law. God provides provisions, when there is sin there must be a death. This is where law is married with the tradition of sacrafice.

Rebellion: People broke God's law and didn't follow the sacraficial system (see Old Testatament with kings, prophets, and nations scattered). If you'd been born between the New and Old Testament, you would be tempted not to believe in God and how he said he would create a great nation. Even though it seemed God was silent, he was telling the story of redemption. See Malachi to John (the Baptist, who predicts Jesus - John 1: 6-9, 14).

Grace: Grace and truth (law). Throughout the story is grace (i.e. provision with the law). Grace is about buying people back not paying them back. This is about everyone and all the world not just Israel. Jesus' death is for allmen and to fufull the prophecey and make disciples all over the world.

Spirit: The Holy Spirit lives in us. The Holy Spirit helps tweak our consciousness, address our brokenness. To live in a broken world but live an unbroken life - this is our chapter which was launched by grace.

Eternity: Revelation 21. The brokenness will pass away, God will make everything new (not just fix what is broken). Hard to believe? - Look at Abraham, Moses, Mary - understand reasonableness of following God when know the whole story.