i talked with a new friend about his upcoming project. (you will need to click into this post in order to view and click on the links – they won’t show up on the preview).? all the juicy details (and i do mean juicy) to come on thursday.
Blog
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five letter words
sometime saying i’m sorry isn’t enough. so i don’t say anything at all.
(and i HATE that.)
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tomorrow
tomorrow evening is going to be one of the craziest nights of my life! big stuff happening, big stuff! photos to come as soon as possible. you will NOT want to miss it!!!!!! (for the small amount of people who knows the events of tomorrow evening, hush hush!!? i’m just trying to build some suspense!!!
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post #200
i’m bored.
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i like reviewing stuff
call me opinionated. call me critical. either way, i love providing thoughts on whatever. movies. make up. blogs.
despite all the fake “make money while doing practically nothing” ads out there, it’s nice to find something that’s actually legit. at least i think so. i read about this thing called ReviewMe on spitbox. it’s a site that solicits advertisers to find bloggers to review their products. to kick it off, ReviewMe offers new reviewers a pre-determined amount of money (based on technorati rankings) for reveiwing their own site.
simple and clean, it’s easy to sign up to be a reviewer. you can add up to six of your blogs, you create a description, and let advertisers come to you. my blog is worth $60 to an advertiser. ReviewMe takes a steep 50% cut, but honestly, i don’t mind. any extra money is welcome in my bank account. even if it is only $30. you get notified you have a review opportunity, you write a 200 word review and post it on your blog. the check (or paypal) follows.
the only thing i don’t like about ReviewMe is their logo. it’s honestly a little cheesy. it’s kinda mickey mouse looking, and i find that oddly disturbing. nonetheless, it seems like a pretty easy way to make some extra cash, try some new products and write!
(the above was a paid review. they make me say that!)*
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a few of my favorite things
although it is a grand 85 degrees outside today, i have been in the christmas spirit this week.? i’ve had a record three peppermint mochas (two of which were free), we are starting to get christmas stuff ready up at work, and the twinkle of christmas lights has been slowly but steadily filling the night sky.
i am so excited to be back in dallas this christmas.? one, it’s warm.? two, there are a million ways to get your fill of the holidays.? besides the obvious things, like more time with family and friends, below is a list of some of my favorite christmas past-times which i’m looking forward to this season.
-Volunteering at the Neiman Marcus Children’s Parade
-Caroling at Hotel Adolphus (We listen, The Church of the Incarnation performs)
–Peppermint Mochas
-Christmas lights in Highland Park & InterlochenWhat are yours?
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why i didn’t vote
i know some of you are passionately patriotic, proud to be an american, and think that christians should rule the world. and for those of you who hold the previously mentioned beliefs up high and loud, i ask for you not to go on a blog-flaming rant. please express your opinions, but please be graceful and polite in doing so. responding in a moment of passion is never a good idea.
i have read a few friends blogs this morning, and many of them were dreading going to the polls, or hated being there. even those who researched candidates were surprised by new names on the ballots who couldn’t afford thousands of dollars in tv ads, or weren’t considered legit enough to get into local or state-wide debates. the lines were long. some electronic voters had to vote the whole ballot for any of their vote to be counted. and generally speaking, it’s the same old kind of people and issues and promises that lead americans to believe their vote makes a difference.
my problem isn’t solely with voting. if you’re really an american, i hate to break it to you, but you’re not fulfilling your “duty” as well as you can by simply going to the polls. sure, you are influencing the numbers on MSNBC, and you represent the popular vote for the presidential election. and even occasionally, there are a few surprises. let’s play a quick quiz. i say a state, you say a color.
texas. california. kansas. washington.
minus a few counties here and there, these states never change. and most of them don’t. at least not in the last 12 years of elections. (see here.) a sign that things aren’t working right? perhaps. i can’t speak for before then. i was only in my preteens and was kinda clueless.
i have voted one time (under pressure, too) and that was in the last presidential election. i cast my vote for a candidate and one for a local government official who had some great ideas. and that is all. it’s not some Gen-X statement on nonconformity. it really is my way of saying, “if you want my vote, something’s got to change.”
if you really want to make a difference in the way things are happening in america, find a cause. or two. or three. whatever. find something. discover who your senators and state reps are. get to know your local government. participate in public meetings. write letters. show up and support the little guys, which is where the change begins. have your friends sign petitions. and pray.
i wrote my first letter to a state representative when i was 12, after watching the 92 presidential election unfold on tv. afterward, i went to my mom and said, “this doesn’t make any sense,” followed by a list of questions and problems i saw with the system. she said “write a letter” and i did. the last letter i wrote was maybe a year ago in kansas, to show my support on having the wright amendment lifted in dallas. a petition was sent out and i signed it, and emailed everyone i know to sign it. over the last few months, progress has been made and bush officially signed the bill october 13, 2006 for the amendment to be removed. my next issue of choice is healthcare reform. i start working on that in a variety of ways at the beginning of 2007. (which if this is a topic that also concerns you, let me know.)
to conclude: yes. i believe your voice will be heard at the polls. whether you vote or not (otherwise, you wouldn’t hear about low voter turnout. so don’t tell me the non-voters aren’t being heard). i just so happened to exercise my right to vote by saying no thanks. you may have exercised yours via touch screen voting.
but don’t stop there. if you really want your voice to be heard, go to the mattresses for what you really believe in.
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vote quote
“I have something to tell you. I didn’t vote.”
“What?”
“In the last mayoral election, when Rudy Giuliani was running against Ruth Messinger, I went to get a manicure and forgot to vote.”
“Since when do you get manicures?”
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i am that kind of christian
so, it’s inevitable. with the whole ted haggard scandal, the cynics are hammering out some hate for evangelicals. this group of cynics also includes some of my friends and acquaintances, and being the “strategic” person i am, i start planning how conversations with these people might go.
instantly, my mind goes to the “it’s christians like that who give other christians a bad name” and “i’m not that kind of christian” and then i realize…
i AM that kind of christian.
since becoming a believer, i have lied. i have stolen. i have used god’s name in vain. i have dishonored my parents. i have looked at porn. i have abused alcohol and other mind altering substances. i have thought lustful thoughts and have done lustful things. i have neglected my relationships and put ministry and career first. i have been bitter. jealous. materialistic. i have been unforgiving.
yet i am scandalously forgiven by a provocative father who loves me.
so, mr. haggard, i don’t know you. and you don’t know me. but at least on this little piece of cyberspace, i am standing right with you.
i am that kind of christian.