Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Yes, I Saw A Ferrari

We had a good Christmas, as always. For Christmas dinner, we made a glazed stuffed ham and Au Gratin potatoes. Later in the day we had meat and cheese, and kielbasa sausages (I've made them before). It was all yummy.

I received many things that I was happy to get on Christmas day. Listing everything would be silly, but two of the happiest gifts (all the presents were happy) were MarioKart for the Wii, and The Dark Knight on DVD (which we watched on Christmas day).

In other news, Megan's nephew Tony has been here for a couple days. On Sunday, we went to the Mall of America, and sitting on the bottom floor was the most wonderful thing I've ever come across in a mall: a Ferrari. Yeah, that's right. The picture I have here is one I grabbed online, but that's what it looked like, only silver. I should have reached out and touched it. It was most definitely the closest I've ever been to such a car. (I've seen two others in my life, on the roads of Columbus.) According to my estimations and the help of Kelley Blue Book, that Ferrari is worth more than seventy-one 2000 Chevy Cavaliers.

(And I think the value it assigned to my Cavalier was a bit high...)

We are in the middle of the college football bowl season - a wonderful time. Each year, us Coopers pick the winners of each game and see who can do the best. Our picks and progress can be seen on the Cooper Bowl page. As of this posting, my mother and myself are winning with 9 correct picks (after 14 games).

LotD: Colorful Poodles. Some dog owners are really weird.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Music to My Ears

I really do love music, even though I haven't bought a CD for several years. Now, my main source of music is to listen online to Columbus' station RadioU, and also their music television station, TVU. My tastes have certainly gotten a little louder than when I was younger, and I currently have no band that stands out as an obvious #1. There are just so many that I thoroughly enjoy. Here are links to some of my more favorite songs, just in case you're at all curious. There are 20 songs here, listed alphabetically. These are mostly newer songs, and so I did not include my all-time favorite song on this list. Okay, well, here it is.

12 Stones: Far Away
Blindside: Pitiful
Demon Hunter: Carry Me Down
Family Force 5: Earthquake
Family Force 5: Replace Me
Fireflight: Unbreakable
Fireflight: You Decide
Flyleaf: All Around Me
Flyleaf: Cassie
Hawk Nelson: The One Thing I Have Left
House of Heroes: In The Valley of the Dying Sun
Krystal Meyers: Make Some Noise
Project 86: The Spy Hunter
Red: Already Over
Red: Breathe Into Me
Seabird: Rescue
Showbread: Mouth Like a Magazine
Since October: Disaster
Thousand Foot Krutch: Favorite Disease

And to go along with one of Gina's recent posts, my favorite Christmas song is Carol of the Bells.

LotD: What, the 24 links above aren't enough? Well, okay, here you go: The Viking Axe.

Friday, December 19, 2008

The Case for Death

I am considering trying to write some more serious entries, on different issues, starting with this one. I both think it will be interesting for me to put more thought into issues I haven't thought about much before, and I also think it would be wonderful it I could write something good and interesting enough that it could be submitted to some type of magazine. This comes from my thinking that my purpose includes writing. We'll see where this all goes.

So, first, if you have any suggestions for issues for me to write about, please let me know. And now, here's this. I have just written this within the last hour, and it is 606 words.

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The Case for Death

One of the undeniable truths about our human lives is that, eventually, they end. Each of us was born of a woman, our bodies knitted together in her womb. Someday, each of our bodies will lose its vibrancy; blood will no longer flow through our veins, and life will no longer pour out from within our physical selves. Death is simply an inevitability that we must accept.

Even as we accept and understand that our future includes death, it is true that we often fear it, holding on to our lives and our remaining years with all our might. Humans fear their death like nothing else, and that fear stems from the fact that we simply do not fully comprehend the part that death plays in lives. We miss God’s plan for us; His plan for the end and the beginning of each human life. For all things, good or bad in the sight of men, work together for the goodness of God.

Just as a student’s graduation marks the end of a time of schooling, the death of a human marks the end of their time on this Earth. It is a transition; the end of one era, and the beginning of another. A student attends school to learn and ready him or herself for a future career. Those students who do not walk the path of learning will find themselves ill-equipped for a future. Humans who do not walk the path of Christ will find themselves at the end of their life without a savior.

The scriptures tell us not to fear. Once Jesus has become our lord, there is nothing to separate us from Him and the salvation that we now have. Nothing in this world, no powers in the spiritual realms, and not the eventual death that leads from this life into the next.

We must change the way we view death, for it is not the end, but merely a time of change. It is not something to be feared, but something to be understood. As strange a thought as this might be, death is something to look forward to. Not in any depressive or suicidal manner, but in such a way that we long to be with Christ in the world to come. For this world is not our home; we are as aliens in a foreign land, and Heaven is our true home. Our father waits there for us, and we should wait patiently and yet with excitement for the day when we walk those streets of gold. We will no longer be strapped with the problems of this world, but will have all of eternity to be with Christ.

Our time on this Earth is precious, and even while we are young and the years seem to stretch our before us, death is coming for each human, some long before they expect it. We know not what day will be our last, but that is not for us to choose. God has planned each day of our lives, and He knows what day He will call you away from your body and into His presence. Do not fear that hour, for a greater glory awaits us than we could ever experience in these bodies. Live each day as though death was around the corner, for it truly is, even if we do not see it.

God holds your life in His hands, and His timing is perfect. Trust in Him and do not fear the future, and do not fear death, for on the other side of our last day is the first day of a beautiful beginning.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

A Diversion (They All Come Falling Down)

So, here's an entry in the not-really-that-important-but-amusing anyway type entries. I recently discovered the website Drawminos, where you can set up dominoes and then knock them all down. You can also save them and then send them to your friends so they can see your masterful creations. So, if you're bored, it's something to waste a little time. Also, if you're bored, here are links to a few of my Drawmino creations.

The First One
The Construction of Smiley
Coming Together
Snake Pole

The only other news of interest is that my wife and I are planning a weekend viewing of The Day the Earth Stood Still (which rumors have it will carry the trailer to the upcoming Wolverine movie). She also has interest in the movie Doubt.

LotD: Stealing the Empire State Building. Who knew it could be so easy?

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Cooproductions

It has finally happened.

My updated website is now up and running. I know you've been excited for it for a while, of course. :) So, if you're bored, head over to www.cooproductions.com and check it out. I now have a bit more of my writing online - mainly a few other stories I have written (or only started), that I figured I'd post. I've also updated my top ten lists, though I only have 7 lists posted. More might be coming, I'm not sure yet. This blog is also now imbedded into a page on the site, so you can view it as normal, or on the website. Or on Facebook, of course. Whatever brings you joy.

While I have uploaded the site, I still have work to do on it, including adding a random link feature (whenever I see something online that I find interesting, or strange, or funny, I will add the link to my random link database). It'll be a diversion for if you're bored.

I'm happy to have it hosted on GoDaddy, where I can more freely use ASP, which will be helpful when working more on the Reclamation card game, and other such things.

Let me know if you see anything on the site that doesn't look right.

LotD: Cooproductions. Of course.