The Bigger PIcture

One of the biggest problems with our culture today is our inability to see the bigger picture. We are so focused on the short term that we fail to understand the affects of our actions on the future. This issue permeates our lives. Politics, education, jobs, discipleship ... you name it. I'd be happy to discuss this topic as it relates to any of these areas, but right now I'm going to focus on politics.

It's no secret that conservatives hate Senator Hillary Clinton. The Facebook group Stop Hillary Clinton: (One Million Strong AGAINST Hillary) currently has over 800,000 members. There are tee shirts, web sites, and conferences devoted to the downfall of the campaign of the first woman to have a chance at presidency. On Super Tuesday, many people watched Fox News almost rabidly, moaning in nearly physical pain every time Hillary won a state. I understand the widespread dislike of Hillary. I don't like her much myself. I understand the fear of her becoming president. I personally agree that we don't need any more socialist policy in our country. What I don't understand is the shortsightedness of many. Hillary winning the democratic nomination may be the best thing for conservatives!

A poll taken this week by CNN found that if Hillary ran against McCain today, there would be an effective tie. If Oboma ran against McCain, however, they found Oboma winning by a margin of 8% (3% +/- margin of error). McCain has the advantage (for a Republican) of being accepted by many moderates. And, as Anderson Cooper says, were Hillary to win the democratic nomination, many Oboma supporters who can't agree with Hillary might even vote against their party if relatively moderate Republican John McCain were the GOP nominee. Many believe that the only chance for a Republican president is McCain. I'm starting to believe we may need a moderate President if we want anything to get done, as much as I'd rather have someone with beliefs more like my own.

This election has the potential of changing America forever. No matter who is elected, the face of politics, the leaders we elect, and the policies of our government will never be the same. As President Bush said, "This is an important election, prosperity and peace are in the balance." All the issues must be considered, including the impact of each candidates policies on future policy. Those that identify themselves "Conservative" must decide, am I willing to support Hillary in the long term if it means the chances of a Republican president are dramatically increased? Would we be better off with a Democrat as president for one term if it means an end to deadlock and a nation more open to conservatism in the future? Does a more conservative candidate like Huckabee even stand a chance to beat the Democratic nominee were he to miraculously win the Republican nomination?

Fun Things From Old Blogs

Here are some things I found when looking through my old blog stuff from back in the day:

"Study break" sophomore year.

Shaved head. sophomore year.

"I'm not going to buy my kids cool toys. I'm going to buy me cool toys and tell my kids to go play outside. It's underrated."

"My business will thrive. And I will find true love." Inspired by Hitch.

Good times. And this preceded the world's first online support letter and online giving system for Project Impact. Groundbreaking.

Aside from realizing how crazy, moody, immature and annoying I must have been back then, I also noticed that I was a lot more creative, crazy and clever. It was kind of interesting to see how I've changed.

I Love the Endless Remixes and Videos of This Song

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) - anxiety disorder characterised by repeated intrusive thoughts and associated ritualised behaviours intended to alleviate that anxiety.¹

I have been told I've developed OCD. Not just once or twice by a roommate or close friend, but by random acquaintances, people on the street and cashiers at Wal-Mart. I contend, however, that I am not obsessive compulsive, just neat and organized. And seeing as OCD is a DISORDER, it is NO LAUGHING MATTER!

Imagine you have a giant mole that covers half of your face and that you have a friend who had a tiny mole to the right of her nose. Don't you think people teasing her about her little birthmark would make you feel especially bad about yours? A little sensitivity, people ... I'm just saying!

Now, I know I'm not getting through to any of you dunderheads, so I'm going to go ahead and beat you to making fun of me by listing some compulsive things I've been known to do:

• Alphabetize and catalog my DVDs, CDs and books, and organize them by genre. DVDs are simple ... movies, TV shows, and music. Books are more complicated ... fiction, non-fiction history, non-fiction Christian living, non-fiction business, non-fiction reference, non-fiction biography, textbooks, and curriculum. And yes, I have a lot of books. Also, fiction and non-fiction are kept on different bookshelves
  
• Make my bed/Clean my room every day
• Organize clothes in my closet by color and type. For example, short-sleeved tee shirts come first, organized by color, then long-sleeved tee shirts, then short sleeved polos, then long sleeved polos, etc
• All wiring (speakers, computer, tv, etc) must be CONCEALED!
• My photo albums must be filled chronologically, and separated by event
  
• My underwear drawer is organized chronologically. As in oldest to newest, left to right
• If there is a bowl of candy, I feel the need to organize the candy by color or type

Ok, maybe I do have mild OCD. The definition does kind of fit me like a custom tailored suit.

¹As defined by Neuropharm

I'm Taking My Own Challenge. Number Seven.

Ten Things I'd Like My Friends To Blog About

In order to encourage the growing (re)trend into greater, wider-spread and more frequent blogging, I have a challenge. Actually, challenge is not the right word. Maybe punishment is. According to my people counter, this blog gets 20-40 unique visitors almost every single day. When you work hard you should get paid. When it comes to this blog, I don't work that hard, so I shouldn't really get payed (in dollars), but I should get paid in comments. Or entertainment. So, since you people (excepting a few of you who are totally awesome) still won't comment I'm forced to ask for entertainment. This entertainment will, as I stated earlier, challenge you and forward the cause of post-popular blogging.

Here is my challenge. I'd like to see blog posts on the following ten topics:

1. Top five pictures from overseas trips (fulfilled by Emily B)
   
2. If I were an animal I would be _____ and why (fulfilled by Preston and by Paige)
   
3. My dream life in 15 years. Details
   
4. Top five things I miss most about America, and top five things I don't (fulfilled by Deb)
   
5. Most annoying thing I've ever done
   
6. Favorite memory from college (fulfilled by Amy)
   
7. An awesome video that I made or used a website to make
8. Any first post for a new blog (fulfilled by Melissa)
   
9. Top three YouTube videos (fulfilled by Andrew)
   
10. The most awesome gift under $100 anyone could ever give you

BONUS
Create a children's story with illustrations. If I were to do this I would use a mix of Where the Wild Things Are and Captain Underpants as my inspiration. (fulfilled by Andrew WITH BONUS POINTS)

I Get Tired of Explaining What a Snow Bike Is, So I Just Tell People I'm Going Skiing

Some years ago, my father decided that we would finally take a family ski trip. I don't know how much interest the rest of the family had, but I couldn't wait! I'd been skiing but once before, on a youth group ski trip to Breckenridge. And I LOVED it. My family had always avoided the slopes, however, both because of their love for the beach and because my dad's bad knees prohibited such joint straining activities. After a childhood of longing to replace the sand with snow, an orthopedic surgeon told my father about a ski-like apparatus that is very popular in Europe, and has been for quite some time. He said it hasn't caught on here in the States yet, but that a lot of people with knee problems use them as a replacement for skis, as these machines don't require the user to put any pressure on their legs. This device, of course, is the snow bike.

My dad finally convinced me to put down my skis and try a snow bike a few years ago, and I haven't looked back since. I like it so much more than skiing! It's faster, easier on your body, easier in general, has more control, looks cooler, and makes you instantly popular on the slopes. Skiing (for me) is slow, painful, dangerous, nerdy and generic. I'm done with the skis. In fact, snow biking has become kind of our thing. Know what I mean by that? It's fun going to all these ski resorts with my dad once or twice a year to hang out, eat a lot, and do something cool that makes everyone stare and realize how boring and un-awesome they are compared to us.


Here's a short video of us snow biking this year (taken on a digital camera and edited on the plane ride home, so not so good quality).