IT'S BEEN ONE YEAR SINCE I STARTED MY BLOG HERE!!! I didn't notice that until after I posted my last update. I think the past couple of months have been my best blogging. I really hope to get better at updating - maybe a post every Monday - Friday. ~ Jeremy

October 29, 2003 11:16 a.m. Work At work right now. Haven't written here in a while. Guess I haven't had much to say. Either that, or I'm just really busy. I'm working on three big writing projects right now, and I'm helping plan the Harvest Party that our church is sponsoring alongside the Assembly of God church in town. So I've been quite busy. We got family portraits taken on this past Saturday. Once I get them I'll scan 'em in and post them. Last Friday, Michelle and I took Josiah to Chuck-E-Cheese for his birthday, and we had a ball. He really dug the Whack-A-Mole game, and he had a blast putting the tokens (or as he calls them, quarters) in the games. I got to play a little bit of the Star Wars Trilogy game, and I did better than usual. The coolest thing about Chuck-E-Cheese is that every game is only one token, so it's fairly inexpensive, especially if you have a coupon. Saturday Night I went to an independent wrestling show, promoted by Ring of Honor. Man, this was good wrestling. Reminded me of the old school NWA when I was growing up, and old time WWF, to an extent. No half naked chicks or stupid angles, just wrestling. There were issues that I had with the event itself, but nothing that will keep me from going and enjoying it when it comes back to town in a few months. I'll write a longer column on this in the near future - maybe when I get my pictures back. (Hopefully a few came out good.) 13 days till I'm 26. ~ Jeremy

October 17, 2003 10:30 a.m. Work A sudden Realisation Upon reading my last entry, I noticed how much I sound like Bill O'Reilly. Not bad. :D ~ Jeremy

October 16, 2003 1:00 P.M. Barnes & Noble Intro Back at Barnes & Noble again, and I still don't have a cup of coffee to get the blood flow pumping. I had a cup this morning, my first of the autumn, so I guess that will have to suffice. Besides, even if I had the three bucks to buy a Cafe Mocha here, I'd probably change my mind anyway. I'm sure there is much better stuff to do with three bucks. (There are comics to buy this week...) The Long Awaited Michael Moore Rant I took the time to really digest what I'd seen in Bowling for Columbine, and just today I flipped through Moore's new book, Dude, Where's My Country. I guess I did that so I could give him some sort of benefit of the doubt. And I do give him the benefit of the doubt. There's not a question in my mind that Michael Moore is a brilliant filmmaker, a funny and intelligent guy. I guess that's what makes his situation all the sadder. I'm a fan of Moore in that he's not afraid to avoid the Hollywood elite style and go old school indy, even after he's made a good chunk of money in his books, television and movie ventures. (Of course, the good chunk of money thing is just speculation. I don't know how much he's making, but it's most likely more than I make, at least) But it's sad that he is so blinded by ideology that he can't get a look at the big picture. I don't claim to know everything. I'm a dumb guy sometimes, but I do try to sort things out in my head and make decisions based on the facts that I see in front of me. I'm not afraid to admit that I am a conservative on most issues, but there are some conservative issues that I disagree with. But for the most part, I am a conservative thinker. I don't like the idea of Big Government. I don't like the fact that the African-American community chooses to follow leaders like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson instead of raising up leaders that will not try to keep them ignorant. Socialized health care would be devastating to our country. Big companies that move our jobs to other nations to save money are just out of control. Smoking should be banned in all public places. Gun control laws are a cop out. And gun control is the biggest issue that Moore was confronting in Bowling for Columbine. First, my thoughts on the film. It was good propaganda. The best propaganda film I've ever seen since Triumph of the Will. (A film made in Nazi Germany that made Hitler out to be a god of sorts.) I'm not saying that Moore is a Nazi, but I am saying that he has the same talent of really conveying the message he wants to convey, and making some believe. I actually enjoyed Bowling for Columbine, despite its left wing vitriol. It was the special features on the DVD that really got to me though. One special feature, in particular, now that I think of it. Six months after the film was released, Moore returned to Littleton, CO to give a speech. That speech was shown in part on the DVD. In that speech, Moore goes on a tirade, twisting Bible quotes to his liking, and bashing President Bush for his faith. That was to be expected, but the sentence that bothers me is when he said "I'm a firm believer that people are inherently good." I hate that statement. That belief alone is what is fundamentally wrong with society. It's not Moore's fault, don't get me wrong, but he said it, so this is what sparked this column. People are inherently good? I disagree - quite strongly, I might add. First of all, the Bible says that there is none good, no, not one. We are all sinners. Essentially, nobody is perfect. But that's beside the point - let's take the Bible out of the equation, so that anybody who might be liberal and reading this can stop yelling "The Bible doesn't matter!!!" Okay. No more Bible. At least for now. Okay, let's look at character, and let's dissect the statement PEOPLE ARE ESSENTIALLY GOOD DEEP DOWN INSIDE Imagine for instance you're with a baby - let's say he's about 1 year old. Let's call him Little Mikey. Little Mikey is playing in his play room, which is adjacent to your three hundred dollar surround sound system. Mikey sees the really cool buttons and they are far more appealing than that lame singing Elmo you bought him for Christmas, so Little Mikey makes his way to the sound system and starts pushing away. "No Little Mikey. Don't do that." You say, gently pulling him away and putting Elmo back in front of him. A few minutes pass, and Elmo has lost his interest again, so Little Mikey is slowly creeping his way toward the Sound System. You watch him, and he looks at you. Isn't Little Mikey cute? He waits for a moment, wondering if you'll react. Do you tell him no? Do you wait for him to reconsider his actions and go back to Elmo? Do you let him continue on in his quest for better audio? This is a typical situation for a baby. They test you, even at a year old. Is Little Mikey thinking of others at that point? Is he thinking of the stress he's putting on you? Is he thinking of the safety of the beautiful surround sound system you saved for three years in order to buy? NO!!! Little Mikey is only concerned for himself, what he wants and what he can get out of the deal. He could care less about you and your stinking sound system. What he wants, he gets. Go to a mall. Without much work you'll find a kid screaming that he wants this toy, or that candy, or this ride on the merry-go-round. Kids, as much as we might think they're all innocent and cute are INHERENTLY evil. We all are. All of us are selfish by nature. Why else would the world have problems with drugs, murder, sexual perversity and whatever other darkness that exists? Because deep down inside, all men (and women) have the desire to get what they want. I'm not trying to paint an ugly picture, I'm stating the facts. I have a son who is almost two. As cute as he is, his character is MY responsibility. It's my duty to shape him into a man that will be an asset to society, not a hindrance. If I let him run around getting everything he wanted, there'd be pure chaos. The world is chaotic because there is an evil heart inside all of us. It's our choice whether or not to tame that beast within. Why is there teen pregnancy and abortion? Why are people getting shot and killed in the streets of every city in America? Why are there corporations being caught for financial impropriety? Why are husbands leaving wives and kids? Why are there such a large number of fatherless children? Because somewhere along the line somebody was selfish and couldn't control their own desires. You can't tell me that the fact there is a missile manufacturer in Littleton has anything to do with two psychos gunning down 13 people in their high school. That's a cop out. Those kids were (like the rest of us) inherently evil. They made the choice to act on it instead of becoming valuable members of society. Are people inherently good? No, and the Columbine High School Massacre is an example of that. September 11, 2001 is another, and that should speak volumes to people, and make you angry. Random Stuff Read the first volume of Batman: Hush by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee. Not too bad. Very interested in seeing how it turns out. Jim Lee's art is superb, as always, and I envy Jeph Loeb's handle on storytelling I can't believe that on Monday it will be two years since I've become a father. Life has become more fulfilling and more complicated in the last two years, and I couldn't ask for anything different. I'm pretty bummed the Cubs aren't going to the World Series. I'm hoping the Red Sox pull an upset tonight. A Yankees/Marlins match up just doesn't sound appealing. ~ Jeremy Soundtrack: Adam Again - Perfecta Coming up soon: Degrassi Remembered On the Nightstand: Walk On: The Spiritual Journey of U2 - a great read, gives some real insight into the greatest rock band of the last twenty five years.

11:30 p.m. House Sitting Dining Room Whole Entry Again I'd like to write something long, but my laptop seems to be running slow as mud tonight, so rather than risk typing a long entry, I'll keep it short. I can only imagine the frustration if I lose an entire column to a stupid internet error. Anyways, I spent yesterday and the day before at home with Josiah. The babysitter was sick, and to save Josiah's health and our own, we gave her two days off. Not much happened. Finished O'Reilly's book, it wasn't that bad. Went to a broadcasting job fair yesterday and handed in my resume to two tv stations. I wonder if they'll overlook my lack of a degree? Maybe. Other than that, I worked today, work tomorrow and tomorrow night and saturday I'll be going to the Elim Fellowship Men's conference. Busy, busy, busy!! Sunday is going to rock. All 30 games on Direct TV. I hope this doesn't jinx anything, but I'm hoping for a Cubs/Red Sox World Series. ~ Jeremy Soundtrack: Adam Again - Dig and Perfecta ( a back to back special!!) Starflyer 59 - Old Sixpence None the Richer - The Fatherless and the Widow

1:28 a.m. Home Whole Entry Going to be house sitting again this week. For only about four days, but hey, that's four days that include NFL on Direct TV. Good stuff...Good stuff. Also going to the Elim Fellowship Men's Conference this weekend. That should be really fun. It's sort of like Promise Keepers. I don't really have much to write about right now. There's stuff I want to cover, but I'm just too darn tired, so I'm gonna head to bed once this thing is published. I'm trying to remain as faithful as possible to this journal, so even if I only write a few sentences, at least I've written something. And I've only missed one day in the last week or so, so I'm doing well so far. I feel like I'm writing more for myself than anyone else though. But hey, that's okay. I'm sure that past readers have walked away after checking for a month with no new entries, thereby giving up because I'm undisciplined. Here it is, October, and the weather's getting cold. My job is about to end, but that's okay. I'm pleased with where I am right now, but I know I can still do better. So my trust is in the Lord, since if I trusted myself I wouldn't get very far. "God gave me style, He gave me grace...God put a smile, upon my face... - Coldplay - God Put a Smile Upon my Face ~ Jeremy Soundtrack: Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head Starflyer 59 - Old

1:30 A.M. Home Intro This will be a brief entry. And by brief I mean short - not Fruit of the Loom. Adventures at Goodwill Spent the day doing a little bit of shopping. Didn't get anything really cool - just stuff we needed for the house. Well, I did find the 1981 "Genus" (is that supposed to be spelled that way? It's on the box like that) Edition of Trivial Pursuit for $0.99. Not too bad, if you ask me. And I think they sell new question cards, so should these be a little outdated, I can update them myself. The rest of the time at Goodwill was spent letting Josiah play with all of the used, and sometimes broken toys for sale there. That wasn't the fun part. The fun part was having a large woman of vintage (translation: A fat old lady) cough up body parts all over me. Okay, no body parts were coughed up, but it sure sounded like her spleen was about to jump out of her throat and help Josiah push around the plastic boat he was playing with. Now I feel like a Professional Writer A little over a year ago, I began my quest to work in Christian comics. It's a hard field to break into, and, to be quite honest, for the hours I've invested I don't think I've come close to breaking even. But I've made some good friends, and I've been working somewhat steadily on projects here and there. Mostly for myself, but there are times when I help others out. But I have yet to see actually sequential art based on something I've written. Well, that is, I hadn't until yesterday. But I'm getting ahead of myself. A few months into my quest to conquer Christian Comics, I volunteered my talents to a project that was targeted to be out by Free Comic Book Day 2003. It was a group effort, with several artists involved, and two writers. One was Ben Avery. The second, was myself. Ben's a great guy - a real pro and a much better writer than yours truly. It was an honor to just work with this guy. Ben had crafted this story - a story that when I first read it, made me realize that relevant storytelling with a Christian message was possible and not a pipe dream. And Ben gave me three pages to write. So I did. And here I am, one year later, and I am now staring at a printed copy of Hero TV - CAPES on Location. Check it out here!! It's better than I could have imagined it. Full Color, and FREE (plus shipping). And my name is on it. Not that I did much work, but my name is on it. Now I feel like I've arrived. Random Stuff I saw Analyze That tonight. Funny, but not even close to the first film. And man, there was a lot of language. Going to the comic shop tomorrow. Maybe. Hopefully. I really need to find a copy of Outsiders #3. ~ Jeremy Soundtrack: Starflyer 59 - Old

2:53 P.M. Work Intro Right now I am sitting at the desk of the most powerful pediatrician in all of Rochester. Well, sort of. I actually don't know for sure if in fact the man who normally sits her is the most powerful pediatrician in the entire city, but he is the director of one of the largest Pediatric practices here, so that's gotta mean something. Who Still Watches E.R.? Man, does E.R. suck now. Yes, that's a strong statement, that's for sure. Even stronger, considering the fact that I haven't really watched E.R. since Clooney left. I dunno - the show just sort of lost it's spark. It became less about really cool cases in the Emergency Room and more about crap like Carter's substance abuse, Weaver's coming out, and how much of a jerk Dr. Romano is. (I'll admit, I found Romano quite entertaining.) I know, I know - prior to Clooney leaving the characters were as important or even more important than the bloody MVW or GSW on the way into the hectic atmosphere of the emergency room, but for some reason, with his departure, the show just became less cool. So I gave it up. Last night, I had to program to tape Survivor, so as I was rewinding the Survivor tape, E.R. was on. E.R. in the jungle? Carter, Luka and Abby off galavanting around trying to save the world? Who's running the E.R. while they're gone? What is this, some kinda wannabe action show? Are they trying to be J.A.G. now? If the latter is the case, they really do need to cancel this show. I don't know. It's sad to see great shows become mediocre. Why not quit while on top, like Seinfeld did, instead of fizzling out like Northern Exposure? It's almost insulting to the legacy of the show. But that's just me. Random Stuff I don't have anything random to say right now. How about this: If Ahhnold wins the governors election in Caulifornia (as he pronounces it) will they call him the Governator? Just wondering. ~ Jeremy Soundtrack: Sixpence None the Richer - Divine Discontent Starflyer 59 - Self-Titled (Gold)

12:12 a.m. Home Intro Worked a long day yesterday, a shorter one today. Really bushed -- thank God tomorrow is Friday. How does it happen that I start this entry at midnight and finally get to really write it at almost two the next morning? *sigh* I just finished writing out bills. Fun stuff. Michael Moore Should Really just Shut Up, but I wanna talk about Starflyer 59 Yeah, I know. I really want to write about Bowling For Columbine, I have a strong opinion about it, and it's creator, Michael Moore. But since it's five hours before I have to wake up and get ready for work, it's just gonna have to wait. What I really want to write about is Starflyer 59. You're probably wondering if that's a title for the Playstation, or some weird new Science Fiction show, but it's neither. Starflyer 59 is possibly one of the coolest bands I've ever had the pleasure to listen too. Music alone is very important to me. I don't know an exact total, but I own a lot of CD's. I don't think that 400 is a low estimate, but I haven't counted. I'm eclectic in my tastes - I have everything from Native American Flute Music, to alternative country, to worship music, and of course, all sorts of rock music. Starflyer 59 is neither of these, really. The genre of music that Starflyer has been branded with is "Shoe Gazing", which I've never heard of before. I bought my first Starflyer 59 album almost ten years ago now, after hearing that they sounded a bit like The Smashing Pumpkins. It didn't sound like The Pumpkins, but it did have a unique sound to it. It was a wall of music -- I knew there were vocals there, but they became a blended part of the entire song. It was very cool. Gradually, I drifted from Starflyer 59. They released a few albums in my brief hiatus, but I heard they released a new CD, called Old just this past summer. I figured, hey, why not...I'll give it a whirl. Man, was it worth it. The vocals are a little more prominent on this disc, but that's beside the point. I really dig this CD. It's so hard to describe, but it's quite good. It's going into heavy rotation for me. Random Stuff I listened to John Grisham's latest book, Bleachers, while at work today. Not your typical Grisham yarn, but then again, he's drifted from the "young lawyer in peril" genre recently. A very heart warming story - a moral story, and one that choked me up on more than one occasion. Why is it that the liberal media is using reports from a tabloid paper to try and assassinate the character of Rush Limbaugh? I wonder, quite often if my efforts here go unnoticed. If you read this here blog, shoot me an e-mail to say hi. ~ Jeremy Soundtrack: Starflyer 59 - Old

Why do some people even bother to breed?? __________________________________________________________________________ From The Fox News Web Site: Toddler Recovering After 2 1/2 Weeks Alone Tuesday, September 30, 2003 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A 2-year-old girl survived on ketchup, mustard and dried pasta for nearly three weeks after she was left home alone while her mother served time in jail. The child was recovering from malnutrition Tuesday and was listed in good condition at Wolfson Children's Hospital. "She's sitting up in the bed and laughing and playing with the nurses," said hospital spokesman David Foreman. The child's father, Ogden Lee, who is separated from the child's 22-year-old mother, Dakeysha Telita Lee, said he had been trying to contact the mother for two weeks and did not learn until Sunday that she was in jail. When a manager let him into the apartment Monday, the girl was lying in a baby's bathtub, covered with a towel and was watching cartoons. She was filthy and covered with dry ketchup, he said. "She grabbed me and wouldn't let go of me," Lee said. "It is really a miracle how good a shape my daughter is in. I don't know how she did it." Lee, 33, said the girl had dragged the food, toys and other things into her mother's bedroom, where he found her. Leaford James, who lives across a breezeway from Dakeysha Lee's apartment, said he had heard crying from the apartment "but nothing to get suspicious about." The little girl had been left alone since her mother was jailed Sept. 10 for aggravated assault and petty theft. The mother was charged Monday with child abuse, and was being held Tuesday on $20,000 bond. Dakeysha Lee was represented by the Public Defender's Office on the original charges, but it had not been assigned the child abuse case. Her appointed attorney was not immediately available for comment. The Department of Children & Families was reviewing the case to determine where the child should be placed. "The child is safe in our care," said Patricia Mallon, a DCF district manager. "Our every effort is to ensure her safety and well-being." ______________________________________________________________________ I don't think I could even add anything to that. I'm just sickened by the whole thing. ~ Jeremy

September 30, 2003 11:20 p.m. Home Intro I really want to write something good, I swear. But it's getting late and I have a twelve hour day ahead of me tomorrow. I doubt anybody actually reads this anyway. But it's fun to do nonetheless. Local Broadcasting Rant I don't know if I've admitted this, but I'm a talk radio addict. If I have a choice between listening to music or talk, I choose talk about 75% of the time. Music is important, but I think that talk keeps my brain engaged somewhat, and keeps me awake. So I love talk radio. I'm pretty sure it all started when I was unemployed, back in the summer of 2001. Josiah was still forming in the womb, and I was stuck at home mostly, trying to keep the house in shape and maintain my sanity. Television was (and still is) boring during the day, so I turned to the radio. Dr. Laura was on in the morning, I dug her no-nonsense approach to solving problems, and following her was Paul Harvey, who reminded me of those announcers you hear on movies set in the forties. And after him came this local guy. He was a conservative. (which was good) He could be a perv (which was bad). But he always called it the way he saw it. Nine times out of ten I agreed with this guy, who sounded an awful lot like Ned Flanders when he got all hyper. But he was good at what he did. His name? Bob Lonsberry. And yesterday, he was fired. To give you the back story, Lonsberry's had an ongoing feud with Rochester's Mayor. The mayor is a democrat, and, let's face it, the past few years Rochester has fallen straight into the crapper. And now, the Mayor is running for Monroe County Executive. Did I mention the mayor is African-American? So a little over a week ago, an Orangutan escapes from the zoo, and wreaks havoc for a little while. Bob goes on the air that afternoon, and jokes "Headline today: Orangutan escapes from the zoo, runs for County Executive!" On first listen, I laughed. Not because I thought of the mayor as an orangutan - I laughed because I saw Clyde from Every Which Way But Loose in a suit and tie, speaking at a podium, all in my minds eye. Funny thought. But not according to the NAACP and every other liberal black leader in Rochester. Bob was labeled a racist. Demonized. Suspended. The story continues - On the following Monday, Bob issues an apology, basically saying he didn't think that the mayor was an ape, but a jackass. Granted, this sentiment might be true, but that just might be a little much. So his suspension is extended. He finally apologizes once again, and agrees to undergo "diversity training" (which I have a strange hunch is just a few nights of watching feel good race relations movies, like Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? and Remember the Titans) Sounds good right? Like he caved a little, but who wouldn't considering his job, his whole livelihood was on the line. More black leaders jump up, still demanding the head of a radio talk show host (all the while, there's gang members killing each other on the streets of Rochester, but who's going to do something about that, huh?). So Lonsberry gets fed up, and posts his regular online column. Click the link to read it. A defensive diatribe of a man at the end of his rope. I can't say that I blame him. After that, Lonsberry was fired. Did he deserve it? Not in my opinion. Were his remarks dumb? Yes. Racist? To an extent. Worthy of being fired? No! Emphatically - NO!! It seems like the powers that be at Clear Channel are complete and total pansies - caving to the pressure of a select few, much to the chagrin of the majority. It's like reverse Apartheid! (Okay, that might be a bit of a stretch, but it's unfair, nonetheless.) What a bunch of wusses. What next? Will I get fired from my own website for laughing at Bob's Orangatan comment? Well, at least I don't get paid for doing this. Getting fired from a good paying gig would really suck. Random Stuff A good DVD season is in store for us. 10/14 - Matrix Reloaded 10/28 - The Hulk 11/18 - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Special Extended Edition 11/25 - X2 - X-Men United Good stuff's a'comin. I read that Brian Singer finished a rough draft for the third X-Men Flick. Rumor has it that Storm won't be in it. Fine by me, bring in Beast! And Mr. Sinister! And Gambit!! I promise I'll write my thoughts on Bowling For Columbine soon, but I think my last two blog entries seemed a little on the harsh side. I need something lighthearted, I think. I rarely listen to a CD more than once in a day, but I listened to Starflyer 59's She's the Queen EP twice. I forgot just how good that disc is. I think I might need to add their latest, Old, to my must have list. It's taken me close to an hour to write this entry, with all of my research and stuff. Cool! ~ Jeremy Soundtrack: She's the Queen EP - Starflyer 59 Wither Wing - Browbeats (various artists) The Green Room Serenade: Part One - The Lost Dogs Songs for the Day After Christmas - Terry Scott Taylor