The Writer's Poke

Brian Griffith wrote a book called Correcting Jesus . I'm just 30 pages into it, but I'm already to recommend it -- especially if you're interested in looking at Jesus beyond the cliche of modern thought. Griffith's goal is to show how the story of Jesus has evolved over time. How most people view Jesus doesn't necessarily have anything to do with who he was, because political and social factors influenced how his "biographers" described him in their written accounts. Interesting stuff. http://www.amazon.com/Correcting-Jesus-Years-Changing-Story/dp/1935259024/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1289319736&sr=8-1

I thought I would try to "monetize" my blog, but to make it worth my while, I cannot simply recommend nickel and dime items. Therefore, for your careful consideration, I present the Breguet Classique Tourbillion Messidor Men's Rose Gold Watch. This may be the most expensive item available for purchase through amazon.com; and, if someone were to actually buy one through my referred link, I would supposedly earn 4% of the purchase price as an "amazon associate." That's about $3,870 for each watch sold through my referred link. So to Oprah, Bill Gates, the former CEO of BP, and all of my friends: please consider buying this lovely time piece. I'm sure that you'll find it worth every penny. And, you can joke to your friends that time, in this case, really is money. (Please note that every watch comes with a full two-year warranty, and shipping is only $9.95 -- very reasonable, considering the cost of the product being sent.)

A-Sides B-Sides & Suicides "The Cure" is the new song on Charon's Greatest Hits (and Beginnings) album. The "suicides" part of the album showcases the band's Death Metal beginnings. That's not my scene, but fans of Death Metal might dig it. Otherwise, the first disc is basically a greatest hits walk down memory lane. The second disc includes the bands early stuff, including some demo songs that sound like they could be off the band's first studio album. Wanna buy this album in the U.S.? Good luck on that. When I checked last, A-Sides B-Sides & Suicides  was not even available on iTunes, unless you know the trick. The trick is: Set your account to iTunes Finland. If you scroll down on your account, you'll notice the U.S. flag; click on it, and you can change your status to any country that iTunes serves. That way, you can buy the album -- or if you're like me, just "The Cure." I like the new song. To me, it's "...

It's a subtle change, yes, but once you drink fruit-infused water for a few weeks, you will notice what "regular" water tastes like in comparison. Week 1, I tried kiwi and strawberry. Week 2: oranges Week 3: watermelon I've also heard good things about cucumber. The thought of that doesn't turn me on, but I'll give it a shot shortly. Benefits? It's calorie free. And the fruit lasts all week. My recommendation is to change the fruit every 5-to-7 days, though. I left the watermelon in for 9 days, only to discover some mold on the inside top. Basically, you can tell when it's time to change the fruit by its discoloration. But I'd say every 5 days to be on the safe side... Good little product for those interested in a "healthy alternativ e. "

Doug Brown's Just Do It should be better than Charla Muller's 365 Nights. After all, Brown writes for a living, and the book does a lot of the things I was hoping Muller's would do. For example, Brown actually does describe the sexual encounters with his wife. But the descriptions grow pretty monotonous. Brown does include specifics on things they "try" to enhance the experience: toys, lubes, locations, positions. Brown also includes a lot more dialogue, and on the surface, that should be a good thing. It should be good to hear what his wife is thinking along the journey... unfortunately, it's impossible to know who is "speaking." Doug and his wife sound exactly the same in the dialogue portions, and Doug doesn't really go into his own "deep thoughts" (probably because he knows his wife will be reading the book??). *** After a while, I just wondered why I should care, and perhaps that's the main problem I had with both Just Do It a...

Two memoirs were released this summer with sex as the unifying theme. One was the straight-to-paperback 365 Nights by Charla Muller. In her epilogue, she asks that English majors go easy on her, so I'll try to be kind. Muller's book promises to be a book about sex, but while she shows us the gun above the fireplace, she never takes it down off the mantle. The sex itself, which one would rationally assume would be the centerpiece of the book, occurs off stage. All we get are cliches like "doing the deed" and "the Gift." This could have been a perfectly nice book about married life and intimacy, but the book is mis-titled and therefore misleading. As a reader, I'm not looking for any pornographic details, but I am looking for some specifics here. Muller never once mentions what happens in the bedroom, whether she orgasms, or anything like that. She does mention that her husband was once, around the 80th night, too tired to complete, but that's as graph...

Eastern Illinois University has added a disc golf course, and I had the chance to try it out yesterday. Overall, it's a very fun course for a beginner. Most of the holes are short, and there are not a lot of tree obstacles or water hazards. I say most of the holes are short, but Hole 8 is 735 feet, par 5. If you want to test your arm strength, there you go. Surprisingly, no one was playing the course. Granted, it was sprinkling a bit, but the temps were in the 70s (and this is July in Illinois). If you're in the Charleston area, go out and play the course. People in the area should also note that Lake Land College in Mattoon has just added a course as well. I haven't had a chance to play it, but it's good to see interest in disc golf developing in the central Illinois area.

Do you like philosophy or politics? If so, check out Aristotle and an Aardvark Go to Washington . With a title like that, how can you go wrong? http://www.amazon.com/Aristotle-Aardvark-Washington-Understanding-Doublespeak/dp/0810995417/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208323364&sr=8-1 This is the follow-up, of course, to Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar. I highly recommend both. If you're gonna read something, you might as well enjoy it!

Yeah, I know about 3 people will care. Jani Lane is once again the lead singer with Warrant, and they're going out on a big tour with Cinderella this summer. No, this isn't 1988. It's 2008, and the 80s simply never die. Warrant's last album Born Again (2006) was with Jammie St. James as lead singer, and it's a solid album, very much in the Southern rock tradition. But as others had said, Warrant isn't really Warrant without Jani Lane. Jani's first solo album Back Down to One (2006) is quite good, too, except it sounds like it was recorded in someone's basement. In other words, the production values are nil. One example, in "Better than You," you can clearly hear a phone ringing in the background, and I don't think it is part of the song. I've listened to that song 100 times to figure out if the phone ringing is intentional. And 100 times I've decided, nope, that's just a song recorded in someone's basement... On 4/22, Sain...

This was our second cruise on the Celebrity Mercury -- the first time was to the Mexican Riviera in Dec. 2004. This time, we tried the Pacific Northwest (Astoria, Oregon; Seattle; Vancouver; Victoria), the first run of the season. To begin with, the ship was late repositioning from Mexico. We would find out a few days into the cruise that they knew the ship would be late; however, we were never notified. So, while we were there to board at 1 p.m., the ship didn't arrive until after 3 p.m. It was scheduled to leave at 5 p.m., but they were still loading on luggage at 7:30 p.m. While we waited to board, the passengers were housed in different locations depending on cabin type, and since we had a balcony room, we were among those lucky enough to receive sandwiches and water. Others apparently didn't receive food. Unfortunately, one of the people in our location choked to death on his food, and none of the cruise or pier staff were prepared to assist this elderly passenger. My wi...

The 69 Eyes have a new live album out, but you can't find it in the United States. So, I ordered it straight from Finland, placing the order on Feb. 28 and receiving "Hollywood Kills" on March 5. What an absolutely brilliant album. If you've never heard The 69 Eyes, you don't know what you're missing. The lead singer is a cross between Elvis, Type O Negative, and the Crash Test Dummies. Somehow, it works for him. I discovered this group about 5 years ago now, and as my wife can verify, hardly a day goes by that I don't listen to them. Here's the direct link to Finland for anyone interested in buying the album. http://www.recordshopx.com/artist/69_eyes/Hollywood_Kills_-_Live_At_The_Whisky_A_Go_Go/27343/ Yeah, I'm sure it will be released in the United States eventually, but why wait? If you just want to hear a song from them, scroll to the bottom of my blog. I have a playlist there with one of their hits. http://www.69eyes.com/angelsite/

I just finished reading Ed Horrell's The Kindness Revolution . http://www.amazon.com/Kindness-Revolution-Company-wide-Inspires-Phenomenal/dp/0814473075/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204317901&sr=8-1 A quote that got my attention: "One interesting aspect of human behavior involves observing people who do not display traits of kindness. They tend to be abrasive, impatient, and even rude. They don't listen -- they don't show interest in others, and they show indifference in their communication. In short, they are simply not very nice! What you will find, however, is that these same people still prefer to be around people who are kind. They want to be listened to, they want respect, and they want to be shown regard" (italics added, 109-110). Kindness matters. It's good for you, it's good for those around you, and it's free. One of my favorite bumper stickers is: Practice Random Acts of Kindness. I challenge you to practice a random act o...

I eat alone, and for the past few months, I've done so with Keith Ferrazzi's book Never Eat Alone. Why shouldn't you eat alone? Because if you're not networking 24/7, then you're just falling behind. For Keith, networking is a lifestyle, and he admits that it's not for everyone. He tries to put the best spin on "networking as lifestyle" that he can, but in the end, he simply reminds me of the character from the Bob & Tom radio show, Ken Tarmac. Yes, the book is worth reading, and I'm sure I'll be able to apply some of his advice. Networking will never be my lifestyle, though... http://nevereatalone.typepad.com/blog