James 2:8 (NIV)

⁸If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right.

So I posted a new countdown timer up above...you know, just for fun. Not that it means anything. Last night I started watching the movie "Seven Pounds" with Will Smith on DVD. It's okay so far, but my sleep schedule is still off, so I fell asleep 45 minutes in. I'll finish it later. I think I'm going to go see that movie "Duplicity" tonight - the one with Clive Owen and Julia Roberts. It's at the discount theater near me, and what else is there to do on a Saturday night when you don't drink or have an over abundance of friends geographically accessible?! I really miss Florida in the sense of there was always someone to hang out with. After college however, things just seemed to go downhill socially. That's probably why so many people there rushed to get a "ring by spring" so to speak. I still don't regret not rushing into any relationship for the sake of being in one, but it would be nice to have just a few more friends for these lonely Saturday nights. I would like to give a shout out to my friend Heather Kasperzak who celebrated her birthday today. Heather is a coworker of mine at the Shrewsbury Public Library. She is basically awesome. Aside from her lack of showing up at poker, she rocks. So happy birthday!

So I apologize for how uninteresting this post was. I have been up since 3:30AM ... and look, 6:15 and I am starting to get tired again. I might try and grab an hour before I have to be up to get ready for work. Comment fool!

Peace!

Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV)

⁶ Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

Sorry I didn't blog yesterday. I fell asleep while watching my Thursday night show lineup (Survivor, Parks & Recreation, The Office, 30 Rock, Hell's Kitchen) - thank goodness for DVR!!
I must talk about a new book that is out - as a young adult librarian and a person who just loves humor, the new book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies looks amazing. I am sure some pure Austen fans will be in uproar, and some of my coworkers have said that Austen is surely turning in her grave (to which I said "No pun intended I assume?"), but what author Seth Grahame-Smith has done with the original masterpiece sounds like a riot. Basically, Grahame-Smith has added zombie action around almost all of the original classic tale. The book has quickly climbed the fiction charts, and the author has already been signed to write a book about President Lincoln being a vampire hunter. I choose to laugh about all of this, and I may just have to pick up a copy, if for nothing more than the great cover art.

If you're like me (which I bet you are not), you watch movie trailers online all the time. I came across this one yesterday, and think it looks great, and not just because my likeness is in it. Oh, my likeness refers to Michael Cera (Superbad, etc.) - quite a few people lately have told me that I remind them of him. Weird right? Well, here is the trailer for the movie - let me know what you think (and peace!):

Ezra 10:4 (TNIV)

⁴ Rise up; this matter is in your hands. We will support you, so take courage and do it."

Have you all heard of Perez Hilton (not PARIS Hilton, that's another idiot)? If you haven't, good, he shouldn't be popular. He is a blogger who attacks celebrities, politicians, and anything he thinks will get him the least bit of attention. Recently you may have heard that he was all up in arms over Miss California's response to one of his pageant questions regarding her stance on gay marriage. Mr. Hilton was angry that Miss California said her belief was marriage was between a man and a woman. She was polite, well-spoken, and conveyed her belief - thus answering the question. Perez however took it as hate speech, and now says that she would have won the Miss America pageant had she been more "middle of the road" or I'm sure what he meant, pro-gay. When asked as direct a question as Miss California was, I applaud her for standing up for her beliefs. Personally, I too believe marriage is between a man and a woman. Actually, marriage was established as a union between man and a woman, and not just biblically - historically. I think that gay couples should have all the rights and financial benefits of a married couple, just not the title of 'marriage', because you can't call one thing something that it is not. Miss California and I are in good company though - the president of the united states, Barack Obama, is also against gay marriage. I condemn anyone, including Christians, who are hateful towards homosexuals, but it is not hate to simply and politely not support something contrary to one's beliefs. I feel like free speech in this country is limited to left-wingers and homosexuals - and I am saying this as a liberal leaning, Barack-supporting, Massachusetts independent.

Perez got what he wanted, the media attention, and a mention in my blog, haha, but seriously, I applaud Miss California and wish her the best. She has made more of an impact than I am sure she expected to, and I congratulate her for it.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I love that scripture verse above - it's very encouraging, especially during an economic downturn. I hope that verse doesn't apply to television shows though, because FOX premiered Sit Down and Shut Up this past Sunday, and that deserves anything but hope for a future. The animated half-hour could be the worst debut for a show I have ever seen. The talented voice cast with stars from Arrested Development and Saturday Night Live can't even begin to save material so boring and dry that I found myself zoning out (I actually rewound it once because I had no idea what was going on.) The basic premise of the show is that a bunch of teachers at a public school have "drama" with each other and students. That about sums it up. It's really not funny at all. Thank goodness for Family Guy and The Simpsons because the latest new animated additions have just been so disappointing.

Did you watch it? What did you think? Did you purposely avoid it? Comment!

Welcome!

Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

¹⁰ So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Due to recent events in my life of which I cannot fully discuss, I have decided to close down my old blog as it contains a lot of personal ramblings that I would not want the world to see. Until recently, my blog really wasn't a magnet for attention. In the coming months, that could change slightly - not much, but enough to make me want to "start fresh." I am going to make "by dan" a blog dedicated mostly to my thoughts on the world of entertainment, and of course the two things people say you should never talk about - politics & religion. I hope you, the reader, engage in a dialog about certain topics within the comments section of each post, and ultimately enjoy my blogging, because I sure do!

God Bless,
Dan Barbour