Book Review: Velvet Elvis

With the sheer number of books in the world it's often difficult for me to discern which are worthy of reading. I recently blogged about a strategy I developed for me: Read Chapter 1. Check for Goosebumps. As I run across books that capture me in some way, I'll share a quick review.

I've recently had a revived interest in the questions of faith, church, God and their various intersections.  The squeaky-clean Sunday School solutions of my youth often haven't translated to my real life as an adult, and in the search for better answers I've determined that I've become more drawn to the search itself.

In Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith, Rob Bell poses questions I've often had in my head but not verbalized. He doesn't supply many answers, but invites us to join the conversation of faith, life, text, and their multiple intersections.

"Times change. God doesn't, but times do... letting go of whatever has gotten in the way of Jesus, and embracing whatever will help us be more & more the people God wants us to be."

"The Christian faith is mysterious to the core. It is about things and beings that ultimately can't be put into words. Language fails. And if we do definitively put God into words, we have at that very moment made God something God is not."

I've since learned that Bell has his share of disagree-ers, and his postmodern/emerging/Gen-XY attitude is a turn-off to some conservatives. But maybe that's part of the draw for me. It's something a little different that asks me to really think about what I believe, instead of just learning facts (and opinions dressed as fact).

It was simultaneously refreshing and challenging to read and think about the "What ifs" and "Whys" of this writing, and I'm interested to enter the discussions prompted by the author as I continue my journey - asking questions and questioning answers.

Beef & Cheddar Pizza

As a kid I have great memories of pizza. Our family often enjoyed the Pizza Hut buffet after church on Sundays, where my brother and I would hold pizza-eating contests among ourselves and other friends in the restaurant that day (I went to a big church in a small town, so we were rarely without other church-goers at lunch).

My favorite topping was Beef & Cheddar.

Later on Pizza Hut introduced the Bigfoot Pizza -- a 1ft by 2ft rectangle of yumminess. It quickly became a staple at parties and our house. Again, the predominant topping combo was beef + cheddar cheese.

Then it disappeared.

I'm not sure what happened, but I recently realized I haven't had a Beef & Cheddar pizza for years, maybe decades. 

I've discovered a new topping that has become a favorite: Pineapple. On a thin and crispy Dominoes pizza pie, it's very good. I finished a medium nearly single-handedly just last month.

But I still think back to the 1980s days of Beef & Cheddar fondly, and wonder if others shared my love of this long lost topping combination, or some other combo of the past.

Mario & Me

I've been playing Nintendo for over 20 years, starting with the classics (Super Mario Bros., Metroid, Double Dribble).  I saved one of my first month's earnings as a paper boy (35 smackers) and road my bike to Wal-Mart to purchase The Legend of Zelda.  My life would never be the same.

Fast forward two decades, and I'm playing Wii Bowling and Lego Star Wars with my wife and kids.  Good stuff.

Last week I spent a few days in Seattle with Janelle, and had the chance to visit Nintendo of America Headquarters.  The actual experience was underwhelming -- the visitor center is the size of a hotel gift shop with roughly the same selection (there were no games for sale).  We did come out with stuffed Nintendo characters for the kiddos and a Hyrulian shield full of candy.

But that wasn't the point.

I stood at the center of my gaming universe, and couldn't help but feel 12 years old again. 

Let me in the sound, let me in the sound

It has been tough to ignore U2 over the past week and a half (not that I'd want to). With stints on Letterman and Good Morning America, and an impressive ad campaign, it was easy to get excited about their new album, No Line on the Horizon.

I have only had it for a few days (thank you $3.99 Amazon MP3). Early impressions are good. I don't know that I'd agree with U2's self-proclaimed "Revolution of Music As We Know It" claims, but it is a darn good rock album.

Get On Your Boots

When I first heard Get On Your Boots on the radio last month I quickly tagged it to a one-hit-wonder from my Jr. High days: Wild Wild West by Escape Club. At least one other person on Youtube agrees: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mihO74PzCp8

Other tracks of early interest:

7 - Stand Up Comedy

This is my current favorite on the album, and it includes my favorite lyric so far: "Stop helping God across the road like a little old lady."

2 - Magnificent

This is Blake's favorite (age 5). He often gets stuck on one song in the car, and asks for it to be played over and over. We've gone through Bon Jovi, Jason Mraz, and various others. I'm excited that he knows what he likes.

I've also overheard him singing, "Get on your boots! Yeah, yeah!" around the house this week.

9 - O come, O come Emmanuel (err... White as Snow)

Janelle pointed out early on that this song sounds eerily familiar -- it starts VERY similar to the classic Christmas ballad. That being said, I'm a fan of this one too.

Overall, I'm liking the album a lot; I haven't listened to much else since I got it. To me, artists like U2 are modern-day poets (though I'm sure modern-day poets disagree -- I just don't know any and don't listen to their stuff). I love to hear what artists have to say and to experience the way they choose to express it.

If you haven't heard the album yet, you can listen to every track on U2.com. Here's the direct link: http://www.u2.com/soundandvision/index

What do you think? A revolution? Just good marketing?

Messaging Myself (not Massaging)

(Just clarifying)

When I'm in a situation without access to pen and paper and need to leave myself a ToDo or another message, I'll sometimes call my office phone to leave a message. This puts me in the awkward position of talking to myself, and then listening to the awkward message.

I find myself feeling that I should still abide by some code of message giving: saying "hello" or "hey" as an intro, having some conversation with the future me, and then signing off with a "bye" or even a "see ya." When I hear it later, it just sounds weird.

But when I don't do it, it almost feels weirder.

Am I alone on this one? Anyone else call or e-mail yourself with important (or not so important) messages? Do you include salutations?

Video Games: The Rules Have Changed

I grew up playing video games, starting with Pac-man and Pitfall on the Atari 2600. Gaming has changed significantly over the past 25 years - mostly for the better:

Forgiveness: Super Mario Bros. vs. Lego Star Wars

As a kid it was not rare to play the same level hundreds of times (who doesn't have SMB Level 1-1 memorized), and each game ended in death. Flash forward to 2009 where a Lego Star Wars player can die dozens of times and still "beat" a level. Additional points/powers/etc. are earned by completing the level with greater skill (collecting certain items or killing so many enemies).

Saving = Longer Stories

I'm a fan of a good, long story, be it a television series, a book, or a game. The ability to save your game to a backup system increased the depth of video game stories. The Legend of

Zelda's original 1986 release was one of the first games to allow battery backup, and made it the first "long story" game for me.

In-game Tutorials

Super Mario 64 is the first game I remember with a significant in-game tutorial, teaching me to play the game inside the game. It eliminated the need to read through the manual before starting.

Sandbox

The open feel of some games (Legend of Zelda, and to a greater extent, Grand Theft Auto) give players the opportunity to play at their own pace, working on side quests and participating in the story as they like. The story can even change based on decisions made by the player.

Graphics

For better or worse, games are prettier and/or more realistic than ever. Blocky graphics of the 80s have been replaced by beautiful 3D visual candy. The beauty is more beautiful, the violence more violent and other inappropriate content even more inappropriate. It's my opinion this is a parental issue and complex enough for a blog post of its own. I do think the rating system of the 90s has provided guidance to otherwise unknowing parents.

Playing the World

This is the most important change of the last 25 years. The ability to play with friends and strangers online is huge. There is some satisfaction in beating the computer and progressing through a story, but it pales in comparison to competing with and against other real people from around the world. It started for me with 3 other college roommates playing Goldeneye on the Nintendo 64. But now I've enjoyed online play with Wii Mario Kart, and I'll never be able to go back.

So there we go. The good ole' days are still good, but IMO gaming is much improved over its beginnings in the 70s and 80s.

I've never called my congressman...

I've never been politically active, assuming most "representatives" are more likely to be representing themselves.  I doubted any effort on my part to contact my local legislator would make a difference; on top of that, I didn't really have a particular issue - especially at the state level - I felt strongly about.

Until now.

Missouri has 500+ primary traffic laws an officer can pull you over for violating, including:

• Burned out tail light or license plate light
  
• Dark tinted windows
  

The single violation not included on this "primary" list is the law requiring seat belt use.  It does exist, but has been relegated to "secondary" status.

House Bill 665 will change the current seat belt law's status to primary, and in doing so will save 90+ lives and prevent hundreds of injuries each year (based on similar states' experience).  As a traffic safety engineer, there is no tool in my toolbox that can make that big an impact so quickly -- and at no cost to the state or taxpayers.

I've never "mobilized a movement" or even asked a friend to call their senator.  Today's the day.  If this issue is of interest to you, please consider the following:

• Look up your local legislators in the House and Senate and contact them via e-mail or phone to express your support for HB 665.
  
• Contact members of the House Transportation Committee.  They will be hearing the bill in early March.
  
• Visit www.savemolives.com to join the Primary Safety Belt effort and find more ways to get involved.
  

Thanks for reading through my soapboxes this spring about seat belts.  In my line of work and passion, this is one of the most important efforts I've been involved with.

Oscar Blog: Showtime

I started a live blog during the Oscar ceremony, and then got bored with myself (and had a tough time typing, folding clothes, and trying to enjoy the show with Janelle simultaneously).  I also had little to say during the first part of the show besides "Jack Black is funny" and "Tilda Swinton is more pale than usual."  So I slept on it and gave it a shot this morning.

Jack Black cracks me up.  His presence and facial expressions are laugh-inducing.  I also really liked Steve Martin last night.

Ben Stiller did not.  I was annoyed by him, and if I were a cinematographer nominated for an award I would've been offended by his weird act.

Hugh Jackman was a little rocky at first, but the opening number was good and he did a nice job overall.

Sophia Loren.  Hmmm.

Queen Latifah is one of my favorite entertainers of all time (going all the way back to my hard core rap stage in Jr. High).  All hail the queen.

Even though we knew Heath Ledger had to win, it was an amazing moment to see his family on stage honoring his work and his memory.  

I really liked the production of the show last night.  Very cool, artsy, techy ideas for showcasing movies and walking us through the process of how a movie is made.

I was also a big fan of having past Oscar winners speak personally to each nominated Actor/Actress and Supportings.  Particularly special were some of the older actors talking to the younger stars.

I think Angelina Jolie is as pretty as the next guy, and I know they were both nominated, but at some point (about the 113th shot of her and Brad) it did get old.

There were a few odd absences that I always expect to see: Jack Nicholson, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Paul Reubens.  Oh, and I guess there was some controversy about Peter Gabriel that I'd never heard about.  All I know is that he didn't show up to sing his nominated song.  I'd expect such from Eminem when he did it, but Peter Gabriel??

The Slumdog Millionaire musical performance was my highlight of the night.  Incredible.

My favorite speech quote (from the Slumdog guy who won all the music awards):  

"I've had the chance in my life to choose to love or to hate.  I've chosen to love, and now I am here."

We have a winner. 

Oscar Blog: Pregame

Gonna give a shot at live blogging during the Oscars. Here's the pregame version:

Phillip Seymore Hoffman gets to wear a stocking cap. He just does.

I always laugh out loud at Jack Black.

Robin Roberts = Classy

Overall, the red carpet was similar to every other year. On with the show...

Read Chapter 1. Check for Goosebumps.

I have a lot of books at the house and office that I've collected over the years but haven't read.  In order to deal with the overwhelm, I'm developing a new strategy for separating the good stuff from the mediocre.

Read Chapter 1.

Check for Goosebumps.

The theory is this: If the author moves me in the introductory chapter, I'll continue.  If not, I'll move on.  I've found that -- at least for me -- the most life-altering books I've read have had an incredible Chapter 1.

Will I still miss some good information?  Sure.  But as I've read more and more books (particularly in the Business/Management/Leadership genre), I've determined that most of them borrow heavily from each other. 

There is a finite amount of time any of us has to read.  Even if we read 24 hours a day, no one could read everything written about even a single topic.  So here's my first shot at finding those titles that change something about how I think or act.  We'll see how it goes.