A phone message

So, on Monday, I was talking to someone on the phone when my phone cut out. I was going to call them back when I got a text. I figure it was him trying a different way to get a hold of me. I read my text, and this is what it says:

"This is your really old phone speaking. You should get rid of me and treat yourself to some new hotness. I've served you well and need to be retired."

The number has a Phoenix area code, but it's not a number that I recognize. I'm thoroughly weirded out by this. Maybe I do need to get a new phone. Anybody wanna donate to the Buy J-Ra A New Phone Foundation, or the BJNPF?

Putting the "rap" back in "crap"

I have a confession: I used to listen to rap music. Please, don't look at me that way. I can't say that I was a victim of my surroundings because I don't feel like I was a victim of anything. When I listened to it, I actually enjoyed it. There was just something fantastic hearing Tupac tell about Brenda having a baby. I enjoyed listening to Bone Thugs-n-Harmony mourn for those they lost in "Tha Crossroads." I still love looking back at Queen Latifah screaming her rage about the frequent uses of "bitch" and "ho" when referring to women. I miss those days.

Unfortunately, rap is like any other musical genre in that it changes over time. Where Tupac used to rap about how bad life in the ghetto was, rappers today would rather glorify the drug use, drug dealing, promiscuity, and crime that keep people down. Where Bone asked, "can somebody, anybody tell me why we die?" rappers today would rather "leave in a body bag, but never in cuffs." While Queen Latifah asked for some respect as a woman, we have rappers today talking about making "females crawl;" and that's the edited version.

Even recently, we had a movie about the tragic life of Christopher "The Notorious B.I.G." Wallace, which didn't seem to think anything of his hesitation to vow faithfulness at his wedding, of his lack of hesitation to break said vow, or even of him selling drugs to a pregnant woman, because that's the way things are in the ghetto. One of my favorite rap lyrics from one of my favorite rap artists says, "It's sad 'cuz I bet Brenda doesn't even know just 'cuz you're in the ghetto doesn't mean you can't grow." Mr. Shakur didn't think that you had to remain where you were. That's not the message we're hearing today. Today, we're hearing about sex, drugs, and crime, with very few of those messages containing any amount of repentance, regret, or a want for others to learn from these mistakes.

And songwriting has been replaced by adding ridiculous sound effects (see M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes). Clever rhyming has been replace by repetition of stupid lyrics (see Akon's "Right Now"). People are even taking the need for talent out of music by letting a computer sing for them (see anything by Akon or T-Pain).

But, that's all my rant about secular rap music. It's a little comforting to know that there are still some people who want to rap about something better than themselves. With that, I leave you with music videos for the only 2 songs I've ever bought on iTunes. Enjoy!

I'm just trying to be a better version of me for you

I don't really tell people this, but if I sense that I'm being annoying, I'll back off and give the annoyee some space. (If I sense I'm being annoyed, I'll give me some space, but that's neither here nor there). I don't want to annoy people, so if I think I am, I figure I'll just go away and the annoyingness will be averted. Problem solved.

But I don't want to back off. I want to be less annoying. Some people think that you shouldn't let what others think of you dictate your life, but I say that other people have to live with or around you, so you should at least consider them.

So, I'm trying to be an old dog learning new tricks. I want to start washing my dishes when I'm done with them. I want to put my clothes away so they're not all over the place. I want to become someone easier to live with.

If I have done or habitually do anything annoying to you, please let me know (I'd rather take it as a private message rather than a comment on the blog). Seriously. Tell me. Otherwise, I'll keep doing it.

Love, peace, and hair grease!
J-Ra

Praying

Some days just seem to need prayer more than others.

Our nation is under new leadership
I have a friend in the hospital
I have a friend whose child got a bone marrow transplant
I have a friend who simply needs some prayer right now
I need prayer

God instructs us to pray continually, and sometimes He just lays it on us to let us know that we cannot handle things on our own. And, through Jesus Christ, the God-man, we have a direct line to Him.]

So, why wait until the national day of prayer (whenever that is) or See You at the Pole? We should be praying now and always. That's what's going to bring about change. Besides, talking about someone is less effective than talking to God about someone.

Philippians 4:6-7
"...do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

2 Chronicles 11:14
"...if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

GO CARDS!!!

Now, I've never claimed to be a Cardinals fan, but I will root for any AZ team going to their sports' respective championships. So, it looks like I'm going to be watching the Super Bowl for the game.

LET'S GO CARDINALS!

And to think, last year I said, completely sarcastically, that they were going to the Super Bowl.

For unto us a Child is born

Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel has come to thee O Israel!

I hope everyone out there enjoys God's Christmas present to all of us.

This is why I'm no longer an Education major

It's a Wednesday night. Not much is happening. Many students are hitting the books, studying for their upcoming final exams, writing their 20-page papers about subjects that can be written in 2.

Some students, with some kind of youth program, go to a movie theater to watch Bolt. The 20 or so high school students make their ways to the concession stands, quickly deciding what snacks they will bring with them into the movie.

Two girls decide that they want to order their treats together. "Hi, welcome to Harkins, what can I get for ya?" asks an employee, tired from standing around on a slow night.

After glancing up at the menu, one high school girl asks, "What size drinks do you have?"

Resisting the urge to inquire as to what exactly the girls were staring at on the menu, he begins to give them his spiel. "Well, we have a small for $3.50, a medium for $4.00, a large for $4.25, and our 2009 loyalty cups, which are also for $4.25. The large comes with one free refill and the loyalty cup comes with $1 refills until the end of next year."

"OOh, we'll take the loyalty cup," replies one girl.

"What's a loyalty cup?" asks her friend. Where were you when I was just explaining it? the employee thinks.

The first girl answers her friend, "You get unlimited refills."

The employee notices that the first girl left out the very important fact that the refills cost $1, but he leaves it alone, gives them their new, colorful, plastic cup of Dr Pepper. Frustrated at what little attention these girls were paying, he continues his normal concession duties of thanking the costumers, telling them to enjoy their movie, and wiping the counter.

About an hour and forty minutes later, these girls approach the concessionist again.

"Can we get a refill?" they inquire.

"Absolutely!" he responds cheerfully, more out of requirement than out of congeniality. He fills the cup up again with Dr Pepper and places it on the counter in front of his cash register. "That'll be $1."

"Wait, this costs?"

"Yes, it does."

"But they said it was free."

"No, the large comes with one free refill, the loyalty cup costs a dollar each time you refill it. Do you not have the money?"

"No."

"Sorry," he lies. He takes back the Dr Pepper, pours it out, and hands the freshly emptied cup back.

A few seconds later, another friend comes up. "They said that the refills were free."

The employee responds, "Well, either they told you wrong or you heard them wrong. Either way, a refill costs a dollar." He knew that "they" did not tell the girls that the refills were free because the "they" the girl refered to was in fact him and though the girls might have paid for a drink, he knew they did not pay any attention to what he had to say about it. The girls walk away from the theater, with less Dr Pepper inside their bodies than they would have liked.

The concessionist was reminded of why he no longer had any intention of teaching high school students.