Sunday, December 30, 2012

Announcing My First Short Story


I'd like to announce the first of what I hope will be many short stories.

This story is a science fiction tale about time travel. Specifically, it's about the implications of what would actually actually happen if time travel were invented, and why you can't go back in time and kill Hitler.

From the Amazon description: With the invention of time travel, the government had to step in to ensure that no one changed history. They created time agents, and one such agent finds himself in an impossible situation. He must save the timestream by protecting one of the most evil men in history.
 

You can buy the story on Kindle here.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

This Open Letter to My Fellow Christians

Dear Fellow Christians,

In light of the tragic events at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut last Friday, a few of us really, really want to tell the rest of us why God would allow such an evil act. We just can't keep it to ourselves, and so we get on our soapboxes, find microphones and cameras, and let everyone know just who is to blame for the deaths of 20 children. As fellow believer and someone who often wrestles with the question of how God who can allow such evil to exist, I humbly offer my own suggestion.

Please stop talking.

Monday, December 17, 2012

How I Met Your Mother: "The Final Page"

Quick Review: This. This is what How I Met Your Mother is all about, and it's the best episode of the season so far.

Episode Synopsis: 
Part 1 - Robin takes steps to have Patrice fired from WWN, while Marshall puts a jinx on Barney. Later, Ted invites his architecture professor to the dedication of the GNB building; and Marshall and Lily bump into an oddball acquaintance from college.  
Part 2 - Christmas approaches and Ted wrestles with whether to tell Robin about Barney's intentions involving Patrice, while Marshall and Lily get an early Yule gift, a night away from Marvin, but a case of separation anxiety strikes and threatens to ruin the evening. -tvguide

Spoilers ahead, so you'll want to watch the episode before you read on. Seriously, you want to watch it. And not just because you might be reading this aloud at the exact same time someone else is reading it aloud and get jinxed, though that is a real possibility. No the real reason is that this is a great episode, the best of the season so far, and you don't want to get spoiled this time. You'd regret getting spoiled, and no amount of tubas, xylophones, and robot voices would comfort you.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

How I Met Your Mother: "The Overcorrection"

Quick Review:As long as you ignore Robin it's a tolerable episode

Episode Synopsis: Barney's developing relationship with Patrice leaves Robin questioning his motives, while Marshall's widowed mother gets back into the dating pool, but he thinks she may be swimming with a shark. -tvguide

Spoilers ahead, so you might want to watch the episode before reading this. But if you do, make sure you're using your own television and not one you've just borrowed and never given back. I know, I know, you believe that possession is nine-tenths of the law, but sometimes you don't want to mess with that other tenth. That tenth could be crazy. Seriously crazy. The kind of crazy that believes homicide is an apporpriate response to betrayal. There's a lesson in all this. Don't borrow from people who have "Let's kill them" as plan A.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Ten Best Christmas Movies of the last 30 years

It’s December, and that means the airwaves and cinemas are flooded with Christmas movies. In case you hadn’t noticed, most of those movies are just awful. There’s no way you’d watch them for free on television, and you can’t imagine anyone paying money to see them in a theater. Christmas movies are usually the laziest form of film-making, as it’s usually the same story every time: someone has a problem and the magic of Christmas makes it all better and everyone learns a life lesson.

The good news is that not all Christmas movies are terrible. There’s been a few good ones, and while It’s a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street are indeed classics, I want to focus on the past three decades and look at more recent Christmas fare. These movies that are starting to become classics that will be beloved by future generations.

If you’re in the mood for a Christmas movie and don’t want to get stuck watching Fred Claus, here are ten great Christmas movies that will put you in a good, Christmas spirit.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Quoth the Speaker

A few months ago I wrote this for a Toastmasters humorous speech contest. I didn't win, but I'm still proud of it. It's my own version of "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe. This speech was inspired in part by this classic product review of Tuscan milk, and I hope you enjoy it. 

Once upon a lazy Sunday as I sat there dreading Monday
Hoping for a for a cat nap of an hour or more
As I lay there, lightly dozing, awesome dreams my brain composing
When I felt a fervent nosing, nosing I tried to ignore
Five more minutes please I muttered, then proceeded to ignore
A prodding that became much more.

Monday, December 3, 2012

How I Met Your Mother: "Lobster Crawl"

Quick Review: If you like Robin too much, this episode will cure you of that.

Episode Synopsis: A determined Robin contemplates one last fling with Barney and devises a scheme to entice him into an assignation. Meanwhile, Ted steps in as Marvin's nanny, and Marshall and Lily realize there's a definite motive behind the move. -tvguide

Spoilers ahead, so watch the episode before you proceed, but really, while for some episodes you'll hate yourself for spoiling things, you probably won't be filled with such incredible self-loathing this week. You'll find yourself quite easy to forgive. It's not like you went and ate lobster even though you're allergic. No, you just read ahead and found out what was in the episode before you watched it. However, if you realize that you're better off skipping this episode, then you didn't spoil yourself, you dodged a bullet.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

This Relationship Corner: Now You're Cooking!

A lot of people wonder what they could do to be more attractive. Far too many people focus solely on the physical side to the equation. And while you should make an effort to look your best, be well groomed, not smell terrible, you can't just focus on appearances. You also need to focus on what you bring to the table besides cleaning up nicely. This is why you need to know how to cook.

This isn't an option skill set in your life. You can't be the kind of person who always goes out and never cooks, because that's not how life works anymore. Even if you happen to be very rich and can afford to pay people to cook, even if you get married straight out of high school and move from your parents' house to your spouse's, you still need to know the basics of cooking. It's not just about survival, it's integral in shaping your character.