The Great Media Retreat of 2005 - Afterwards

Camp MahairsmellslikeaNASCARfan

2005-02-07T18:47:00.000-05:00

It was all about camping/canoeing in Ocala National Forrest this weekend. We left out Saturday morning and didn't get back for three days. Maybe it was only one night. It was hard to tell. However long it was, we all had a great time. There were ten of us - five guys and five gals. Just the right mix for romance out in the woods.

Let me see if I can sum up the trip for you. Jessica said, "Let's go camping - Yeaaaaah!" Beth said as we drove, "But the canoe is about to fly off the Volvo! Where's my sweater?" Israel said as a truck rushed twenty feet from our campsite, "Let's get our money back from that she-devil and camp somewhere else!" Erin said, "You all launch the canoes, we're going to find the perfect campsite in Juniper Springs." Joe said, "Yes! They're finally back, let's get these canoes zig-zaggin'!" Camden said after twenty hours of canoeing upstream, "It sure takes a long time to cook supper on the engine of a Chevy Tracker!" Jen said, "You guys stay up and write all the dirty words in the air with burning embers you want, we girls are going to bed in the love nest." Tim said, "Wakey, wakey. Eggs and bakey." Mark said, "Why did it takes us two hours to get to Ocala, and four hours to get back?" Finally I said, "I smell like a rack of ribs."

I still smell like a rack of ribs. Beth smells so much like a chimney sweep, I called her "Gov'nah" and she started singing, "I went campin'! Step in time! I went campin'! Step in time!" and jumped into the stove.

Later that night, we all gathered at the spacious estates of the rich and famous Israel Hill for a little Super Bowl action. I asked a question that didn't get much discussion, but I can't stop thinking about it. I think it's a valid question. Is sport coverage the most authentic thing on TV? Everything else seems to be polluted with some type of slant. The news is slanted, reality TV is fake, and game shows are just loony. There's just not much you can slant about a football game is there? I don't know, it doesn't really make that big a deal if it is or isn't, it's just interesting.

I've got to go, that chimney sweep is wanting a "tuppence for bread" again.

It's Friezen!

2005-02-03T21:09:00.000-05:00

Those Friezens are cool folk. We had TJ and Ginger over for supper tonight. Beth made me proud with one of her awesome meals again. She made some rolls that demanded to be consumed in multiples of four. I think I had 20. TJ had 24.

We took TJ and Ginger to the Twisty Treat for some authentic Winter Garden dessert. While standing in line with the other 47 people who had the same cravings for the Twisty, I felt those 20 rolls demanding to be heard, so I had to run across to the Long John Silver's to make sure things were going to be ok. So I barge into the bathrooms and as it turns out, it's a single bathroom (only had one john) that was occupied. Let me make something clear - it was occupied but the door was unlocked. So I barged in on this Indian guy's private moment.

As I stood outside waiting for him to finish up, I wondered, "What does a person say to the other person in a moment like this? Maybe I should leave until he gets out just so I won't have to say anything to him." And then it dawned on me, "I'll let him say something first. Wonder what it will be?"

About that time the door swings open and in nervous, freshly-learned English he says very politely, "Thank you so much."

No, Mr. Anti-Lock Bathroom Guy, thank you.

Reentry

2005-02-01T23:24:00.000-05:00

We're back on the tube. I hate to disappoint anyone, but it wasn't much different today. We didn't have much time for a movie anyway. The only chance I had for TV was right after supper and I read "One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest" instead.

I did catch my first music video. The new U2 video for "All Because Of You" is incredible. Go watch it on iTunes, or see it here. It was made while they played on the back of a truck driving through New York City. I remember Owen talking about them giving a concert downtown off the back of the truck and how he happened to be out of town for that.

We hung with our buddies for a little bit tonight, and had a good discussion about how the fallen-ness of man means that I'm fallen. In other words, the problems with the world are rooted in my own fallen-ness. The problem is me. Fortunately, that also makes me a part of the solution. We've been discussing chapters from "Blue Like Jazz" by Don Miller.

Day Thirty-One ~ It's An Enchilada, Baby. Wrap It Up!

2005-01-31T23:43:00.000-05:00

Here it is. The credits are rolling. The lights come up and the crowd starts to move out. It's the end of this little experiment that went surprisingly well. I can't say I haven't learned anything, and I can't say it wasn't worth it.

This whole Retreat was for the basic purpose of just seeing what I did with my time. So let's see. I ended up reading a good deal of the late evenings. I read "The God Who Is There" by Francis Schaeffer. (Remember the four page blog entry that followed?). I re-read "Amusing Ourselves To Death" by Neil Postman, which further concreted my sneaking suspicions of what TV robs from me. I nurtured my growing love for Bob Dylan music by reading "The Bob Dylan Chronicles" by the man himself. This book ranked number one for the month. Go read it. I finished up "On The Road" by Jack Kerouac. My final review on this one is that the book is worth the characters. I would recommend it.

I'm sure that my reading would have been significantly lower if I had continued on with life as it was. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have finished a single book this month. I would have started a few, though.

I played so many more games with Beth. I know that when I look back on this month, and tell great tales to our ten children about The Great Media Retreat of 2005, I will definitely include the many nights Beth and I sat in the living room listening to Bob Dylan belt out something about taking away his highway shoes while Beth hunted me down in Scotland Yard. For those of you keeping score, she beat me at almost everything.

I must also say that I've become quite acquainted with the old hand sandwich - this is, my harmonica. Beth got me a whole set of them for Christmas, and I set a goal to play a song of Dylan's on the guitar and harmonica at the same time. I'll have you know, I reached my goal just last night as I played on the guitar and harmonica AND sang "All I Really Want To Do." Beth is still trying to decide if this is a pro or con.

One of the best things, and Beth talked about this in her interview, is that Beth and I have spent way more quality time with each other. Practically every supper was spent just face to face talking about ideas, houses, friends, and how annoying my harmonica playing has become. For a while when the weather was nice, we were biking every day when I got home. Side by side we pedaled as fast as our little running sticks could pedal all over Winter Garden. These moments alone (and I'm serious here) convinced me early on that TV is completely meaningless to me compared to what I've got with Beth. This is the main reason we're practically doing away with TV programming.

I've been pretty productive too. We're way into the home buying process. We would have been looking into it even with TV, but I know I was able to get an earlier start just because of the evenings I spent looking things up and setting up contacts.

Remember my worry about Friends? I worried that this Retreat would isolate me from some of the buddies I hang with because a lot of what we all do is go to movies. They've all been awesome. We've had game nights, parties, kickball games, cookouts, tree burnings, and plenty of just good ol' fashioned chitting the chat. Thanks, friends!

So I read back through this and it sounds a little like I'm tooting my own horn. I'm not. It's just that I'm convinced a month without TV and movies leads to better things. I really mean that. I think that if you are a fairly reasonable person, you will benefit from losing media for a month.

I've decided to keep this blog up for a little while, just to comment on what "re-entry" is like. Plus, it will keep me accountable while I try to implement my new convictions. So you're welcome back any time.

It's late, but fortunately I don't have to go into work tomorrow because I took the day off to sit at home and watch all the TV I missed while I've been doing this stupid experiment.

I kid. I kid.

Day Thirty - Inside The Blogger's Studio

2005-01-30T18:43:00.001-05:00

There's always two sides of a story, and this Media Retreat is no exception to the rule. The whole time I've been finding things to do without TV, my lovely wife, Beth has done the same. So I thought it would be nice to have a live interview with her, James Lipton style.

I'm sitting here in the computer room typing away. Beth is laying down in the floor, hands behind her head, ready for the first question.

Are you ready?

Mmm-hmm...I'm getting sleepy. I need a pillow. There's a light bulb out on the fan.

Please welcome with me, Beth Hill. {Applause} Beth, if you had one word, and one word only to describe this past month without TV, what would it be?

I have to choose. Are you writing down what I say? (Tried to delete that last sentence.)

Well? (After stubborn silence.)

Super-duper. (Sarcastically)

Seriously.

Gooooood. (Like Jim Carey in Bruce Almighty). I don't know...I would say "excellent."

What made it so "excellent?"

Getting to spend all my time with you, and not feeling like I had to compete with the TV for conversation. I felt really close to you this month. We had the freedom to do what we wanted....or something like that. Besides, I just like to be busy and work and be creative.

Yes, I know you do. On to the next question. "Into the fray!" as some may say. Hmmm...What is the next question?

You said you knew the questions already! (Laughs at me)

I do! What part of TV or movies did you miss the most during the last month?

Just being able to veg out when you are absolutely zonked and brain dead. Like after working at 8 seconds.

You didn't miss your soaps?

(Laughs) Silly, I don't watch soaps, unless you consider Oprah a soap. And even then, I never watched her every day. I did miss Perry Mason! (Laughs)

Perry Mason? Who are you? Granny Hill? Did you miss Dragnet too? Next question: Was this whole Retreat even hard for you? I ask this because I know you grew up watching hardly any TV, so maybe it was no big deal to go without it for a month.

I guess I missed movies, but only because you introduced me to them and got me hooked. Plus, I kinda got addicted to TV, too. But not soaps.

What's your favorite color?

What is my favorite color? Currently it's orange. But it varies between that and other Fall colors.

When you get to Heaven, what do you hope God says to you about this Retreat?

Uhmmm....Hey! Don't put "Uhmm." (Kicks my chair) ...uhhh....I think he would just say "Kudos, for trying to make better decisions about how to use your time."

God would say "Kudos?"

Yes. Is that OK? Are you wanting something different?

No, it's perfect. Last question and the question apparently on everyone's mind: "Are you pregnant?"

Not to my knowledge. No, I'm not pregnant. Well....time will tell. (Laughs)

Ok, the real last question: How many books have you read this month and what are they?

Oh my goodness....are you serious!? (Walks out of the room to go look at the book shelf; Hollers from the next room.) I finished "The Idiot" (Dostoevsky). "The Gift Of Pain" (Dr. Paul Brand). C.S. Lewis's: "Out Of The Silent Planet," "Perelandra," "That Hideous Strength," and "The Dark Tower." John Grisham's: "A Painted house," "The Testament," and "The Summons." So that's nine.

Impressive! Thank you, Mrs. Hill for your kind cooperation. Indeed, you are a delight! {Applause}

Day Twenty-nine ~ Happiness Is A Warm Gun, Mama (Bang, Bang, Shoot, Shoot)

2005-01-29T20:04:00.000-05:00

Lock and load. Take a breath. Hold it. Steady your aim. Slowly squeeze. Son-of-a-BAM. Son-of-a-BOOM. That's how it all went down today at the grove. Israel, DTM, Tim, Mark, and I went out there and shot at oranges, a stand up of the Easter Bunny, and our trusty print-out of the man we labeled *{censored for protection}*. DTM had his foot long knife out there too. I am one of the very few who can boast that they've seen Dan fire a shotgun with a huge knife strapped to his leg. I'm sure the pictures will be leaked on the internet. That shotgun! That thing really will tear stuff up. We shot four three inch holes in *{censored}*!

The fun didn't stop there. Beth's mom found a little nest of baby mice and saved them for my snake (currently named Potiphar's Wife). There were six little babies we fed to him tonight. We sat there listening to them squeal as they went down one by one, wondering how we got to the point that things like this didn't make us feel terribly ashamed of ourselves. All I can say to try to justify such shamelessness is that Beth watched too. I think she even giggled.

I'm about finished with "On The Road." It's a good book. It's well written at least. The story is basically about this group of beatniks who just travel around the entire nation looking for nothing in particular. They make trips from New York to LA for apparently no reason at all. They smoke a lot of weed along the way. The guys find girls to neck along the way. And they steal and bum free rides along the way. It's interesting to see into that generation (the 50s). The book is proclaimed as the voice of the beatnik generation. I'm hoping that the story has some sort of conclusion, but then I remember that the whole beatnik generation didn't come to any conclusion, so why should this book? Homework: Read "On The Road." Watch Fight Club. Write a two-page essay of how they relate. I honestly see a lot of the same ideas in both. Ten bucks says that the writer of Fight Club was influenced by "On The Road."

Hmmm. I was actually joking about writing an essay, but now that I sit here and think about it, that would be very interesting.

Day Twenty-eight ~ The Green Mile

2005-01-28T21:20:00.000-05:00

Here it is standing right in front of me like Goliath, spitting at my feet and cursing my God. It's my D-Day. It's my Green Mile. It's the final weekend without the easy entertainment of the 75 gallon box in the living room. It could be the roughest weekend yet. It's supposed to rain pretty much the whole time. I should at least finish my "On The Road" book, and I'm thinking about finishing off the neglected short film script Israel and I have in the works. We might even make it back out to the lake to shoot the guns. So bring it, weekend.

Kim asked whether I'm going to keep the blog up post-January. I've been asking that myself. I'm not too keen on the idea of just keeping a blog for no particular reason. I'd like to find something to blog about. I couldn't find anything to retreat from for the month of February. So I guess I'm still debating on whether to keep up the blogging or not.

People have also been asking what I'm going to watch first. I'm debating. I want to watch something I haven't seen. We've got a free movie ticket so I think I'm narrowing it down to either The Aviator or Million Dollar Baby. Wait, what about Finding Neverland? I don't know. Of course, the first night off the Retreat is Tuesday, and Tuesday nights we're usually out. It may not be until the end of the week before we see anything.

As far as regular TV goes, I'm going to try to go without it for as long as humanly possible - an hour a week at the most. So I don't care what TV program I see first. Probably Arrested Development on Sunday.

Back to the subject at hand: this weekend. Who wants to go unload some lead into fruit and cardboard boxes?

Day Twenty-seven ~ Pedro And His Lion

2005-01-27T23:59:00.000-05:00

Saw Pedro The Lion tonight at the Social downtown. It was an amazing show. Tim (Timbo, Timboo) had seen them before and said that tonight they were better then he has ever heard them. His songs. Wow. Some of them will slap you right in the face if your not careful. His drummer by the way is an insane man. I mean that literally, he was actually mentally kaput. Well, I don't know if that's true, but he was incredible to watch. There's a 30% chance that he's actually insane, and a 70% chance he's just an amazing drummer. Go see them, and you can decide.

So we got home way too late for me to be waking up at 5:30 in the morning, but I've got to anyway.

Day Twenty-six ~ Kramer With A Side Of Chandler

2005-01-26T23:17:00.000-05:00

My pal Owen hooked me up with an interesting article from The New Atlantis. If you have the time, read the whole thing. It is worth the read. In it I found the answer to a the question I asked at the beginning of the Retreat about the addiction of TV.

It says, "As an extensive treatment of television viewing habits in Scientific American noted in 2002, 'Psychologists and psychiatrists formally define substance dependence as a disorder characterized by criteria that include spending a great deal of time using the substance; using it more often than one intends; thinking about reducing use or making repeated unsuccessful efforts to reduce use; giving up important social, family, or occupational activities to use it; and reporting withdrawal symptoms when one stops using it.' Researchers have found that 'all these criteria can apply to people who watch a lot of television.'"

They also say, "Using an 'Experience Sampling Method' to track people’s feelings about television, Kubey and Csikszentmihalyi found that people watching TV reported 'feeling relaxed and passive,' a state that electroencephalograph studies of TV watchers have supported; viewers experience 'less mental stimulation, as measured by alpha brain-wave production, during viewing than during reading.' This pleasurable sense of relaxation ends as soon as the TV is turned off; what doesn’t end is 'passivity and lowered alertness.'"

This last point has been real for me. I've found that even just these few weeks of no TV have made me less passive. Once the TV would come on, I would be stuck. We all know how it goes. You sit down with supper and watch a Seinfeld, which then leads to Friends, and then another Friends (especially if it's a classic), and if we can't shut the thing off then, we might as well catch Everwood, and if you see the first minute of CSI your stuck, and then you're soo pooped it's nice to just relax with a full hour of That 70s Show. Even if I would stop after Friends, it's harder to get in the mood to be productive or creative afterwards.

It's going to be hard limiting TV like I want. The whole trick of the TV is that everything that comes across it's screen is designed to make you watch more. Every show is specifically designed to catch a viewer in the first minutes. If you gotta see some Kramer, then it sure is hard to cut off Chandler. It all comes down to good ol' fashioned self-control. In fact, I think that may be the big enemy of television. Without self-control, TV has mastered me. With self-control, I've mastered it.

Day Twenty-five ~ Is Arrested Development Still On?

2005-01-25T23:21:00.000-05:00

I'm surprised at the outcome of this whole Retreat. Here at the end I feel like my creative juices are flowing a little more freely. That sounds crazy, but I really feel like my mind is fresh and more original. I've always been a big believer in the power of reading, so I think that all this extra reading I'm doing is awakening my mind more.

I've also been more productive with my time, of course. Because the TV would have taken up so many evenings, we would not have been this far along in the house hunting process if we had the TV around. It's not because all we used to do was watch TV every single night, but just because it filled in a lot of gaps. All this extra time I feel like I have has been put to use getting on a roll with the house business (and other things).

So what are we going to do? I've been thinking about what my response to this month will be. Are we going to go back to the same old stuff? I don't think so. I've said that I think the trade off of being able to sit back and relax in front of the TV with doing quality stuff with Beth is very much worth it. We've decided already to cut out most of our normal television viewing. We've decided that we only want to watch Arrested Development (we admit we are addicted), an occasional Scrubs (even though it's kinda losing it), and once in a great while we may watch an Oprah show (she does some decent stuff here and there). And that's it. Nor more than an hour and an half of TV per week. No news. I'm officially fed completely up with "news." We'll stay subscribed to Netflix for those nights where we're to tired to do anything else, but the rest of the time I want to stay in the habit of reading, biking, painting, and such.

Hey! What if I do an electricity retreat next month? Horse and carriage here I come!

Day Twenty-four ~ Rusty Crunch

2005-01-24T22:28:00.000-05:00

Is this the beginning of the second Ice Age? It's cold. It's too cold to exert any type of energy. Or at least it's a fine excuse.

This evening, I started three small paintings of wind chimes. It's going to be sketches with multiple glazes of the same wind chimes from different angles. It's going to be magical. I kid. It's just a little experiment.

I read most of the evening. I'm digging "On The Road." I started "One Flew..." on DTM's recommendation. I'm afraid the way the book is written from the perspective of the Chief is going to make me feel a little nutty by the end. Beth may find me pushing a mop around the living room.

I realize that today being day twenty-four puts me at only one week away from the finish line. Which means that it's time for some conclusions. My conclusion for today is that my TV gadgets, such as the DVD player, requires me to use them or they will die. I'm serious! Sunday, I made a DVD on the computer and needed to test it in my DVD player. (Don't worry, none of this required me to see any motion pictures.) So when I put the DVD in the player I realized that it was the first time the player has even been turned on in 23 days. This explained the rusty crunching noises the player was making. It took three tries to get the player to start working smoothly.

So when I'm ready to watch my first movie next week, I think I'm going to have to start the TV and let it warm up for a couple of minutes.

Day Twent-three ~ One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest Into The Public Library

2005-01-23T21:15:00.000-05:00

After church and some Smokey Bones, we drove all around Orlando looking at houses. We are just checking out different areas right now. There's still plenty of time. We'd love to move as close to downtown as possible. With our fistful of money, that's going to be difficult. Maybe we should move far away from town so we could afford something bigger. Wherever we move, we learned this today: there's oo many people living around here!

We ended up downtown at the library. I was looking for "On The Road" and found it.

The strangest people hang out at the library. Why is that? Does a lifetime of sitting at home reading do these things to people? Does it make them change their wardrobe to nothing but mismatched sweat suits? Does it make them forget that the wild bush of hair on their head can be tamed? Does it make them breathe heavily through their nostrils and look at me in what seems to be perverted curiosity?

Also, why does the library stink? The books smell great, we all know that. But as I'm roaming the great shelves I can smell nothing but a mix of sweat, pee, and broccoli burps. So yesterday was no different than any other time I've been in a public library. I get there excited to hunt down my books, but in a matter of minutes I've turned into a man trying to find his books and escape a burning building.

The check out guy has the best job at the library. He gets to see what everbody is reading and then make a comment on it. I got a couple of books by Kerouac and "One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest" and he said as he handed me my books, "Sounds like someone's going through their beatnik stage."

Day Twenty-two ~ Go Find A Stranger And Have Dinner With Him

2005-01-22T23:05:00.000-05:00

Have you ever been to a wedding were you release live butterflies at the end of the ceremony? Well, I have. Actually I helped TJ film Kim Haven's wedding out at Leu Gardens this afternoon. Ladies, get ready for this: right after the ceremony a huge rainbow appeared in the sky. I wept when I saw it. Just kidding. It was a beautiful wedding, though.

Back before Christmas we ran into Michael Brown, a National Geographic photographer wondering around on the grove one evening. I think I've mentioned something about him before. It seems he was doing a story on Orlando and was looking for some info on orange groves. Anyway, to make a long story short, we called him up wondering if he was still around (he's from DC), and invited him last week to the kickball thing. He ended up not able to make it, so we had him over tonight.

He's doing a project for October's Geogrphic on Orlando apart from the tourism. So he told us about all these people and places he's found. It was awesome hearing all of the stories. As the evening progressed, I was slowly turning darker and darker shades of green out of envy for his job. All he does is research and run around Orlando taking everything in. Anyway, we made a friend. We're going to have him back out again before his project is all through.

One thing that happed is something that happens often with me. You know sometimes when you read about a book, and then the next day someone mentions the book, and then the next week some one quotes the book somewhere? Bob Dylan has mentioned several times in his book Jack Kerouac's "On The Road." Then I saw the book quoted somewhere in the paper this week. Now tonight, Michael told us that there is a house in College Park where Jack Kerouac lived for a year or so and they've preseved the house as a place for young writers to come stay one month at a time. Right now there's an Australian writer living there. Michael said we could call him up and go by and visit. I think I'm going to start keeping tabs on the authors who pass through that place. I'm also going to read "On The Road."

Having complete strangers like Michael over is something Beth and I have never done. I think it's amazing how much your world seems to open up just from doing such a thing.

Everbody go check out Michael Brown here!

Day Twenty-One ~ Bill Gothard In Blue Jeans

2005-01-21T23:04:00.000-05:00

Wow. It's Friday once again and we found something to get into not involving motion pictures. I sound like an old man - motion pictures. We went to see our buddies in Skycraft play at a little local music store. They were tight tonight. We also introduced Camden to their bountiful delights. A band called Sugar Oaks played before them and I thought they were awesome. They had a touch of Dylan. So we hung out there until our ears closed up all on their own.

It was an Indie crowd for sure. What made me laugh was what appeared to be a new trend among their dress style. Several of the guys were wearing clothes very similar to the clothes I wore to Sunday school when I was young. They reminded me of a lot of the people in the homeschool program by Bill Gothard. That would be funny if "the world" started looking like them. Then the Bill Gothard people would have to start wearing jeans to look different. Whoa. What if Indie music slowly begins to sound more and more like Bill Gothard music? What a blessing.

Day Twenty - Paint It Green

2005-01-20T22:32:00.000-05:00

We ran over to Aaron and Kim Smith's new house tonight to help them paint. The whole night was worth the fumes. They made us very happy.

Actually the whole thing was worth a comment by Heleen (Kim, help me out with the spelling), a friend of Aaron and Kim's. She overheard Aaron ask how this Retreat was going and said, "Oohhh, are you the ones not watching TV for the month?" I answered yes and she said, "I've heard about you." And then looking at Beth she asks, "So are you pregnant yet?"

"We laughed. We looked at each other and laughed. We were laughing as good friends. It was funny. The comment had made us happy." (Ron Burgundy style)

Day Nineteen - "NEXT!"

2005-01-19T22:25:00.000-05:00

Wow. Only eleven more days to go. I've got to say that I'm getting used to not having the TV around. I'm not feeling that urgent need for entertainment every waking moment. Tonight we had a night at home. It's cold outside and there's not much to do. We sat around reading and played a game or two. Earlier, I took Israel to the airport and sent him off to the inauguration.

I pretty much finished up the "Amusing..." book. The later chapters really hit home with me (again). He talks about how everything that is on TV must first and foremost be entertaining. So it turns anything on TV into an entertaining version of the original. Such as religion as entertainment or politics as entertainment.

That's what I hate about the news. Bob Opsahl pops on five minutes before the evening news and says in taunting fashion, "NEXT! How a barn, a rope, and a two year old all ends in death!" I guess we're supposed to get all excited as if it were an exciting new Quentin Tarantino movie. We never stop to think that it is someone's child that just died. They use family tragedies as teasers. I can't think of anything more ignorant and insensitive. Ok, I need to stop ranting before I hunt down Opsahl and choke him. Then Marty Salt could say, "NEXT! Bob Opsahl, choking, and a funeral Friday. Stay tuned to see how these things are all related!

Day Eighteen - I Fell Into A Burnin' Ring Of Fire

2005-01-18T22:23:00.000-05:00

"I went down, down, down / And the flames grew higher / And it burns, burns, burns / The ring of fire / The ring of fire." I've hummed it, sang it, tapped it out on the table, whistled it, played it on the harmonica, and beeped it on my car horn on the way home from work. Johnny's in there and he won't get out!

Running around like crazy was the order of business today. We had some lose ends to tie up for the mortgage guy.

We sat down this evening and projected some of the figures we got from yesterday's meeting into our budget. It makes me wonder how in the world people ever buy a house. It just seems so tight. To be honest, at first it just seems impossible. I realize we're going to have to really cut back on some "luxuries." Also made me start thinking that I should get on the ball trying to sell some of my paintings. That would help. Anyone interested in "investing" in some fine art? It also made me realize that I could use some professional financial advice. It would be good to sit down with someone who knew money, to see how we're going to make this thing work.

We spent the evening with some buddies. It's Israel's last night before he flies up to D.C for the inauguration. He says he's not coming back until he meets the Bush twins.

Day Seventeen - Sign And Date

2005-01-17T23:22:00.000-05:00

We had our first meeting with our mortgage guy today. Sounds like things are lining up ok, I guess. We've got the nervous jitters about whether we can afford this and all. We'll just have to see what happens. We've been pre-approved, and yesterday was basically just filling out the application. I signed my name forty-seven times. He would push a paper at us and explain it and we would sign it. That went on for an hour. I half expected him to push a form over to us and say, "This form is actually some trash I've been meaning to throw out and I want to say a fancy word to see if I can get you to sign it. Let's see...how about 'absolving sacrementation,' now sign and date there." And of course we would have signed and dated his trash.

Got home later on after having supper with Israel and DTM. We started reading Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. We're reading that along with some friends. First chapter I thought was well done and spurred on a good little chat between us.

Here's Saturday's motley crew...

Day Sixteen - These Legs Were Made For Walkin'

2005-01-16T22:25:00.000-05:00

I think this has been the hardest day yet.

We went to church this morning. I left my legs at home because they refused to get out of bed. They said that it would be several more days until they were ready to even consider getting up. To your body kickball is like a car wreck broken into innings.

After a little Amigo's with my buddies, Beth and I went to :08 (Eight Seconds) to help gut out more stuff for the big church move. So, sore and moaning, we both helped rip up a huge dance floor. The big question on our minds as we drove home was, "Why in the world did we do that?"

So not only were we tired and ready to just take it easy, but we were unable to move. We were both longing to be able to just stick in a movie and relax. Israel was over doing laundry and he suggested that Beth and I take a walk or something so at least he could watch TV.

We ended up getting some Starbucks and this really cool Cranium game called Zigity. It's become evident that one benefit of TV is that it's great for sore legs. Apply generously.

Day Fifteen - Slapping Down The Screamers

2005-01-15T23:00:00.000-05:00

The rain held off all day for another Kickball/Cookout at the Grove. We had some good games out there. Richie T (Tim) was sinking some out deep into the outfield. Kansas (Israel) made some plays that brought a hush to the fans (DTM). Magnetica (Jessica) once again slapped down a screamer from the foot of Peg Leg (Me). Orange Crush (Joe) showed up in time to lead the team to another victory with his faithful leg. The Brunette Bomber (Beth) made it clear she meant business and brought her team to the winner's circle. One Million (Chris) was at one time down to "$1.50" and struck out, bringing his new name to "Owes Me Five Bucks." The last innings saw the old One Million coming back, though. His gal, Amy won the Best Dressed award. Thanks, Amy, for keeping it classy. Newcomer Jen may just have earned the title of "Thick Foot" for her game winning home-run just before dark. Speaking of game winning, Camden "The Scare" St.Claire pitched her team to victory using her ninja skills. Newcomer Mark showed he had the goods to compete, earning himself a nick name. It still has to be decided, but I think "Tank Toe" might fit. Newcomer Erin battled it out Kurt Shilling style after she mistook home plate for the ball. She continued on pitching with blood gushing out of her big toe. This earned her the nickname of Gimpy. Who else? Hammer Pumps Hannah proved she could play despite the arctic weather. Joltin' Joelle showed up as well, proving that kickball shows no partiality. It will shame you no matter who you are. Alex and Audra were definitely a dynamic presence on the field. If they would stop loving on each other, they might even get to play next time.

Then it was off for burgers with the works. Silence pervaded the crowd as they slowly choked down beef critter. It was much like a scene from the National Geographic "African Lion Feeding Frenzies Gone Wild." With full bellies there was only one thing left to do: burn the Christmas Tree. Which brings me to ask the question, "Does anybody have a place Beth and I could stay while we rebuild our house?"

Day Fourteen - Tony Matthis

2005-01-14T23:59:00.000-05:00

I'll have to say that I've got some awesome friends. Now I don't know wheter they have been doing this on purpose or whether it has just worked out, but they've been so accomodating. For instance, tonight Jessica and Estee had a game night. Just like last Friday when Tim, Dan, and Joe had a game night. I've not really missed out on any major movie nights with them. So thanks, buddies, for being so easy while I'm doing this Retreat thing.

We played Balderdash for what seemed like at least a chapter in my life's story. In fact, if I ever have a biography written about me, chapter fourteen will be titled "Balderdash Night." Then we broke out in a game of Uno. Beth wanted to play Skip Uno. Tim wanted to play Slap Uno. But we decided upon Normal Uno. However, Normal Uno soon turned to Mean Uno, then to Swear Uno, then to Love Uno, and finally ended as Beg Jessica And Estee Not To Move Uno. Jessica won.

Tomorrow's Kickball/Cookout day!

Day Thirteen - Sssufferin' Ssssuckotash!

2005-01-13T20:40:00.000-05:00

Beth and I have a little collection on our bike trip everyday. It's a little collection of dead animals. It's a small assortment, but steadily growing. For almost a week now we've been keeping tabs on this dead pheasant on the side of the road. It was fresh when we found it and has since gone through the bloated stage. It's now starting to look less like a pheasant and more like a baked sweet potato with butter. Smells like a baked frog with butter.

Yesterday we found a freshly dead mole. I'd never seen a mole that close before (of course we stopped and looked). I had thought that the little eyeglasses were only in the cartoons, but he did have little spectacles and a mining lamp with him. His mining helmet was nowhere to be found. I think this may be a clue as to how he died. We'll keep you updated on him.

I ended up working today on my painting of My Gala. It's a painting of Beth, but in a style that I actually came up with in a dream. No joke. I woke up one morning with a crystal clear image of this finished painting in my head. It is different from any style I've seen. Probably a compilation of styles I've seen. I started a month ago or so. I got a good way through the background tonight. I listened to Coldplay - Parachutes, Nickel Creek - Nickel Creek, and U2 - Joshua Tree as I painted away. The music makes all the difference.

On the side with a sprig of parsley: I've had this idea for a story in my head since I was sixteen that I'm thinking about writing. It would probably be a short story. I was telling it to Beth and she says I should take a stab at it. Hmm...Another TV alternative.

Day Twelve - Dedicated To Brad And Jen And The Happy Years

2005-01-12T21:10:00.000-05:00

Is there anyone else who, when they read certain horrible news stories, considers just never reading the news again? Today I read the story about the man in the mudslide in California who ran to get ice cream for his three kids and wife, and when he got back the dirt had covered his house. They said they couldn't stop him from trying to dig through with his bare hands. Then just today they found the bodies all together. Man, it just hurts to hear that stuff. In the book I'm reading, Bob Dylan said that there came a point where he couldn't handle hearing the news. He said he couldn't see all the tragedies and shootings as just news anymore, but as "families who had been left wounded." I really know what he means there.

Postman in the "Amusing..." book says that one big difference that TV has made is that because of all the information available (even more now with the internet), our "information-action ratio" has flip-flopped. In other words, news of the day used to be only what personally affected each person because they had no easy way to get news from very far off. Now there is hardly any news we hear that personally affects us because it's an overload of information. We know when the Prime Minister of Israel sneezes, and why Brad and Jen broke up within hours of it even happening. I started paying attention to the news I read throughout the day and realized how true that was. There's practically no news that I can do anything about.

I don't know what all that means, but I'm working it out in my mind.

Oh yeah, and becuase I talked about books in this entry, Dan is going to comment by saying, "Lame." This is the same Dan that thinks there's no real difference between spending time with a book and spending time in front of the TV. It's on, Dan. Bring your knife.

Day Eleven - I Won The Yellow Jersey

2005-01-11T23:30:00.000-05:00

We're biking more and more. I'm getting into that. We like to ride right when I get home. Out where we live it's nice and open and there's plenty of little back roads so we're not having to take our lives in our own hands by riding out with all the crazy people. It's good exercise. My legs look like Lance Armstrong's now. Right...more like Neil Armstrong's. I should start wearing a "Live Strong" bracelet. Seeing how Lance is such an inspiration for us all to live strong, leaving his wife who stood beside him through cancer and all. Live it up Lance. Way to go, buddy.

Days like today are easy without TV. In fact, a day like today I wouldn't have watched TV in the first place. We were busy getting stuff together before we went over to hang with our buddies for the evening.

Day Ten - "Mundee"

2005-01-10T21:11:00.000-05:00

I think this idea of no TV/movies is sinking in now. After only ten days (it seems longer) my brain doesn't throw out the instant option of turning on the tube. I'm getting pretty content with riding bikes, reading, or just piddling around. I'm even getting some things done (Beth starts laughing sarcastically at this point). Speaking of Beth, I should give it up to her for hanging in there too. She's even at home most days and tells me the TV hasn't come on at all. (I should probably feel the back of the TV when I come home just to check out her story.) So, Beth....Bigga-UP! Boo-yaka-sha!

As I mentioned, I'm also getting a bit ready for some more entertainment other than games. If the first week was made up of survival tactics such as games and reading anything you might throw at me, I'm thinking this week I'll settle into some quality alternatives. I've got some ideas for a couple of paintings I've been wanting to start. We are also about to get busy with house hunting and all that mess. I think we are going to be talking to the mortgage dudes this week.

I started "Amusing Ourselves to Death" by Neil Postman. This is the third time I've read it. It's been almost eight years since I last read it. Postman takes a detailed look at how public discourse has been severely damaged since the arrival of the television. It's amazing to see the reasoning powers that a written word-based society had in religion, politics, and commerce before the television. However, it's sobering to see how TV has stripped almost all of that away. I'm almost embarrassed when he compares the two mindsets of word-based societies and image-based. It's interesting that Postman goes as far as saying that maybe that's why God said "Thou shall not make any graven image..." God knew the shallowness of images and wanted to be approached and understood through His Word rather than man-made images of what man believes Him to be.

Day Nine - Chit the Chat

2005-01-09T21:02:00.000-05:00

Went to church, out to eat, and then over to the new church building to help clean up for the big move. Once again it's an evening where I'm too pooped to do anything and a movie would be so nice. Or at least some Arrested D and Extreme Home Makeover. Instead, Beth and I sat on the porch and chit the chat, Ginned the Rummy, and will soon chase some text (cool lingo for read a book). How can a night of TV even compare to that?

Beth asked me tonight if I wanted to start a puzzle. I asked her if it had really come to that. I know that puzzles are good brain exercise. They say working puzzles can significantly retard Alzheimer's (no joke). But they're as boring as a 95th birthday. In fact, that's probably what I will do on my 95th birthday.

They are addictive little buggers, though. I've worked on a puzzle for days and days. Then I finally finished and sat back and looked at my hard work. There it is: an awesome picture of a basket of kittens. It's like working a forty hour week and getting paid in sea shells. Instead of puzzles, why don't I just dig a lion trap in my yard. Or why don't I find a picture of a basket full of kittens and tear it into little pieces? It would be the opposite of working a puzzle, but more rewarding.

OK, gotta go. Beth said she's got all the pieces face up and needs help finding the straight edges.

Day Eight - Sawatanao

2005-01-08T22:26:00.000-05:00

This was a car washing/waxing Saturday. These are the Saturday's that we usually wear ourselves out so much that the only thing we feel like doing by eight o'clock or so is sitting down with a good movie. Let me fantasize and say it would be with "In America." However, tonight we sat down to a good game of Gin Rummy. Beth had so much fun beating the socks off of me. So I quit. To be honest, I'm starting to get a bit weary of always trying to find some new game to play.

Tonight I really am missing being able to just sit back and relax with a good movie. I'm pooped but I'm not at all ready to go to bed. So it's either read (some more), paint, game, or play an instrument. All those things are fine with me, except I'm too pooped to exert any effort. Wendy at work said that it sounds like Beth and I have too much time on our hands, and that we need to have kids. Maybe she's right. Anybody know how to do that?

I realized today that one of the "beauties" of TV is that it is constantly providing something new. Do you know what I mean? Anytime we get a movie in from Netflix, it's something brand new for us. It's a movie we haven't seen - two hours plus of a whole new experience. Television is the same thing. Turn it on right after work and Oprah has got something new for me. There's a new Arrested Development coming on. A new Scrubs is coming up. Man, I'll bet if the OC writers were talented even THEY could come up with something new. Oh wait, there is something new on the OC - the two girls are hooking up. So I guess the writers don't have to be talented to come up with something new.

Take all that away and "new" things are harder to come by. It's been easy this week finding new stuff. We rode bikes. We haven't done that in a while. We've played games we haven't played too often. But about now the newness is wearing away. My creativity can't compete with TV and movies. In fact, no one's creativity can.

I realize that this need for constant newness is not a natural human impulse. It's totally been ingrained in me from getting so used to having the TV around and movies always at my fingertips. So eventually I will not be so distressed at not having something fresh in front of me every thirty minutes. I don't know if that will happen within this month. We'll see.

I have a feeling that having this constant newness instantly available to me is not healthy. Well, it's not healthy for my creativity. Looking at what I've done with my week, I see it like this: Television (and movies) offer me an incredible amount of creative, informative, relaxing entertainment. Beth and I can't even come up with a fraction of all that TV offers. When we come up with stuff like riding bikes, TV offers a classic episode of Seinfeld (The Message, let's say), or the season premier of 24 ("So big it will take two nights to show!"), or Curb Your Enthusiasm, or Nanny 911. The next night, when we come up with a two hour game of Scotland Yard and a trip to Twisty Treat, Netflix offers The Shawshank Redemption, Shaun of the Dead, or Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle.

The point though, is that I know that Beth and I couldn't come up with things that were as easier, or more spectacular, or even newer. However, we did come up with things that were better. We've spent a so much more quality time together. TV can't come anywhere near competing with the time we've spent. The time I've spent with friends has been better too. I really feel like TV and movies are cheating me. Sure, I have a ball sitting in front of that screen, but I don't think I'm doing what's always best. This week it's become apparent that it's been a matter of quality time versus quality TV.

Still, Shawshank is an awesome movie.

Day Seven - It's Science

2005-01-07T23:20:00.000-05:00

One week under my belt. I'll have to say it hasn't really been as hard as I thought it would be. I actually don't even feel like I've missed anything yet. I know I've been spending a good bit of quality time with my lady friend. That's a always a good thing.

You should know there is a side affect, though. Some people believe that watching too much television can have a physical effect on a person. Of course, the obvious thing is damage to your eyesight, but they also say that the way a person's brain functions can be affected as well. To say that TV is making us brain dead is not too far off.

I say that to say that I believe there may be a physical side affect to not watching any TV. Ever since I started this Retreat I've had a canker sore right inside my mouth. Israel thinks it may be some sort of kissing disease. (I think he's just trying to get Beth and me to stop kissing.) I thought about posting a picture of it, but I'll spare you. If it gets much worse, I'm going to put on a blindfold and expose my mouth to a hour or so of The Royal Tenenbaums.

Just so you know, we hung out with our buddies all night without watching TV. So at least I know it's possible.

Day Six - Joining A Chess Team Is Starting To Sound Good

2005-01-06T23:10:00.000-05:00

You know what makes Thursdays so nice? The next day is always Friday. Friday night we almost always would watch a movie. It would be nice to go see something tomorrow. Finding Neverland maybe. I'm wondering what we're going to do with ourselves tomorrow night. I want to get a bunch of friends over for some games. I'd even like to play some poker (with change). Anybody up for that? Or darts at Fiddler's Green. Or skeet ball (redneck golf) at Chucky Cheese. Go carts at The Fun Spot. Bowling at Winter Garden Lanes (they still use Fred Flintstone bowling balls there). Dang, there's plenty to do!

Going over to friends house tonight for a surprise party for Tim. Timbo. Timbooo. Tim, Arch Bishop of Canterbury. (The Office)

Has anyone ever read a little tiny book by Elisabeth Elliott called The Liberty of Obedience? Beth and I are reading that together after dinner every night. We're almost done it's so short a book, but that little thing packs some punches. It's amazing how insightful it is. The explanation of what "the appearance of evil" means is worth the read alone. I've never read a better explanation.

I'm thinking about picking up Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. I've noticed that without TV my interests turn a lot more easily to books. I used to read all the time.

Day Five

2005-01-06T00:06:00.000-05:00

Are people just being nice or do they mean it? I don't think I've come across one person who thinks what I'm doing this month is a waste of time, stupid, or just a bad idea. I think that deep down inside most people hate TV. I wonder if that's partially true?

Day five and this is getting pretty easy. I'm enjoying all the other stuff we're doing. Like today, we visited Beth's great-grandmother. She is the one who owns this grove we live on. It was homesteaded (homestood? jk) in the 1850's or so. She still has all these antiques handed down through the years. Beth told me she had a bunch of trunks in the attic that she said we could rummage through. So that's what we did this afternoon. I was halfway hoping there would be a wardrobe up there. Maybe we could duck out into Narnia for a day or two.

The coolest thing I found was this book of photographed portraits from the 1850s. They were the kind of portraits where you had to stay still for a long time while the camera took your picture. As a result all these people look somewhere between sleepy and annoyed. The book reminded me of the scene from The Others where she found that book of the dead. I wanted the door to slam shut on us and Beth to start running around screaming, "Keep them out of the light! Keep them out of the light!" She wouldn't humor me though. She was busy saying the worst things you could imagine to the books that wouldn't fit back into the trunk.

Started The Bob Dylan Chronicles tonight. It's by the man himself and I'm surprised at how the books reads like his lyrics. It definitely has a meter to it. See, listen to this: (Speaking of the characters he hung with at the clubs when he was trying to get started he says) "The saddest character of all was a guy named Bill the Butcher. He looked like he came out of nightmare alley. He only played one song - 'High-Heel Sneakers' and he was addicted to it like a drug. Fred would usually let him play it sometime during the day, mostly when the place was empty. Billy would always preface his song by saying "This is for all you chicks." The Butcher wore an overcoat that was too small for him, buttoned tight across the chest. He was jittery and sometime in the past he'd been in a straitjacket in Bellevue, also had burned a mattress in a jail cell. All kinds of bad things had happened to Billy. There was a fire between him and everybody else. he sang that one song pretty good, though."

Day Four - Book Report Due

2005-01-05T00:24:00.000-05:00

I was writing to my famblies today about that book I just finished so I thought I would just insert it here for anyone interested in a book report. Sorry it's so long...hey what am I supposed to do - no TV. And now the Rev. Hill says, "If you have your Bibles, please turn with me to..."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"He (Schaeffer) made the point (half the book worth) of showing how the way in which people have approached truth and knowing truth has fundamentally always been the same. The only thing that changed through the years was a different thesis and antithesis (Truth & Opposite Truth). They were always scratching old philosophies and creating new ones. However that all changed around the early part of the 1900s. Now the whole world has been conditioned to take a thesis and an antithesis and come up with a "synthesis" (their own personal truth per se). Relativism.

So before the 1900s you could "reason" with people and they had to admit that you were either right or wrong...no real middle ground. Today you try to communicate the Gospel (or any conviction) and you can be right for you, but wrong for other people. So what does he say we need to do?

He says that the first words of the Gospel today cannot be "Repent and be saved." That worked in Paul's day, but it would be ignorant of the social climate to try to adopt this method absolutely in today's culture. The first words of the Gospel must be, "God is there."

He talks some about the need for us as true believers to identify in each individual the "point of tension." Take the time to know the individual and challenge their presuppositions. Understand where their own "truth" is letting them down. Find out where they cannot help but live inconsistent with what they say they believe. False presuppositions will never work in this absolute reality. So every one has these "points of tension." Schaeffer claims that these points are where people will be willing to listen to another "presupposition" that answers those questions that well up inside them. With this approach every person will be different, but I think this relies on relationships more than evangelism techniques and is a whole lot closer to how Jesus related to people.

HOWEVER, the key to the whole question of how we as true believers balance being relevant and resisting relativity is what surprised me. It's not standards or convictions or keeping ourselves unblemished and set apart (we are set apart at salvation right?). He explains that salvation (our Truth, the Gospel) healed and is healing believers on several levels: our relationship with God, our relationship with ourselves, our relationship with others, and our relationship with nature. These things will be completely healed when we are finally with Him, but for now this Truth is in the process of healing (at different levels).

He boils the whole book down to the way we love each other. We must allow the world to see this healing process (our relationships with others). We have to be real enough to let them see our salvation working out in our lives. They need to see believers love each other. They need to see us face the same reality they face. How often, though, do believers look at "Christians" and see people out of touch with reality? He says that nothing will communicate the Gospel and that our "presuppositions" fit and work in reality more than the way we exemplify God's character. And as trite as it has become, God is love. Our Truth is truth that, carried out to it's end, will last, work, save, heal, and help us understand who we are and what God is.

Day Three - Roll 'em in a circle my homies and watch me break 'em

2005-01-03T21:25:00.000-05:00

What time does it get dark these days? Three? Four-thirty? Whatever it is it's just too early. Beth and I spent the dark hours playing more on the new board game. Scotland Yard. Anyone ever play? Beth chased me around all night.

I was cleaning my gun for part of the game and I imagined I looked like married-man-gangsta or something. Family Game Night in the hood - roll the dice, spin the wheel, and load your Glock. Nelly's playing Chutes and Ladders!

Finished up my first book on the Retreat. The God Who Is There by Francis Schaeffer. It's one of those books you have to do something about after your done. I'm still trying to figure out exactly what that is.

I'm wondering how many books I'll read this month. I'm going to say eight.

Day Two - I Need More Board Games

2005-01-02T22:43:00.000-05:00

Sunday nights were TV nights and movie nights. So I must say that I missed the ol' boob tube tonight.

I realized this afternoon that I have this need for entertainment. I think the nice thing about television is that it is non-stop eye candy. You can sit perfectly still, relaxed in the position of your choice, and just watch. The amusement just flows and it really is a beautiful thing. It's beautiful because on lazy days like Sundays you don't have to work for your amusement like I did. This afternoon I hunted down a book (never found it actually), hunted down some music (found it), played a good bit on the harmonica, read, took a walk around the property, and played a good two hours of board games with Beth.

I really enjoyed myself. It's just work. So maybe the first thing I've learned on this retreat is that no TV forces you to really work for your amusement. I couldn't just sit on the couch the entire afternoon and evening.

This question popped into my head: "Could television (movies included) be addictive?" I know it can be habit forming, but by addictive I mean do you think someone could become physically dependent on it? If Day Four entry is entitled "Will Work For Thirty Minutes of the WB", then it may indeed be addictive.

Day One

2005-01-01T21:31:00.000-05:00

I've finished my first day of The Great Media Retreat of 2005. So far so good. The only time I really missed it today was the very first thing this morning when I was talking to Beth about something, and I was reminded of Fight Club. I think we were getting ready to fist fight or something. So I was thinking about how fun it would be to watch Fight Club tonight since she hasn't seen it. Then I remembered this whole deal. So we didn't watch it. We did fight though, and she knocked a tooth out of my head.

Israel, Tim, and Dan came over and we went shooting. We shot Israel's .22 rifle and my .45 Glock out at the other grove. Found out that Dan who had never shot a gun before is quite a shot. He was hitting oranges all over the place. Word of warning: if you ever fancy a gun fight with Dan, you had better hope he doesn't see you first. He's Daniel Boone in my book.

This evening we sat around chatting over a steaming plate of spaghetti freshly prepared by my beautiful bride. So who needs TV when you have good friends, big guns, and a pile of noodles?

The Clock It Is a-Tickin'

2004-12-31T14:49:00.000-05:00

The whole idea of this Media Retreat is starting to really sound like a bad idea. I have several pros and cons fighting each other in my head. On the pros side I think that this Retreat will add more to my relationship with Beth. We'll definately be spending more quality time with each other. Of course, more time with me could drive her off the ol' cliffs of sanity. Like I mentioned before, I know I'll get things done around here that I've been meaning to finish up. I'll also get better at the guitar.

The cons are what are making me doubt. I'm pretty sure that my social life will be forever flushed down the drain. Not really, but I know that I'll be left behind with the group of people I hang with now. What if I offend some people? I think some people will be offended that I'm doing something so radical. They may tink I'm trying to get all super spiritual or something. Will February 1 find me alone and incapable of speaking anything relevant to any of my friends. I honestly believe that this Retreat will make me irrelevant. That's a little sick that I sound like I find my security with people in my knowledge of what's in the theaters and on TV.

I should definately do this. I'm going to do it.

Coming Soon

2004-12-30T13:00:00.000-05:00

I've only got one more day to decide whether I want to start the Great Media Retreat of 2005. I've been mulling over in my mind for the last several months the idea of cutting out all television and movies for the first month of the year. The reason is obvious: it will make me more acceptable to God.

Kidding. I kid. The main reason for doing such an atrocity is curiosity. I want to see what occurs during a weekend with absolutely no TV or movies. I have a good idea I'm going to get to books I've been wanting to read. I'm sure I'll be outdoors more. I may even be a bit more productive. Heck, I bet there will even be more "marital activity."

Still, I'm deciding. I've got one more day to back out.