Third Floor Nomads

Deathbed

2007-03-13T05:36:00.000-07:00

Get yourself over to itunes and pick up Relient K's new album Five Score and Seven Years Ago. Then listen to the eleven minute song Deathbed, it's AWESOME! Thanks for the tip Mark.

Basketball started back up this week. I'm coaching 8th grade girls. It's basically my same team from earlier in the year when I coached the Ninth graders. That team made it to the Champoinship game of our league. We were down by 14 points at halftime and then 8 points with about two minutes to go. Our girls had begun to make a run and the other coach called a time out. During the time out I gave my best Churchill, Henry V, William Wallace, "we Will Not lose this game, They called this time out because they are scared, they know you are coming and they are afraid." I then sat next to my assistant and mumbled, "we'll see if that works." To make a long store short the girls went out and scored the next 11 straight points. We took a three point lead but the other team tied the game and sent it to overtime, during which two of my girls fouled out and we lost by three. The girls were crushed but it was a great season. Now I have most of the girls back for another season. It should be fun.

Read so far

2007-02-26T04:39:00.000-08:00

After reviewing last years list and noticing that I forgot a couple books I'd read including Flag of My Fathers, I decided I needed to keep better track of what I'm reading, especially if im going to break 10000 pages. So here's where we are so far.
Caleb Carr The Angel of Darkness 747 pgs - Sequel to The Alienst. Not impressed, it slogged along almost as badley as the first one. So I had just swore off any more Carr when I noticed that his next book called the Devil Soldier, is about China during the Taiping rebellion. I'll try and pick it up this summer at a used book store. I'm such a sucker.

Damaged Angels Bonnie Buxton 331pgs. Standard memoir of dealing with a difficult child. This book focuses on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and the effects it has on kids and families. Lottsa good info on what to look for but really lacking in intervention techniques. A little too broad, needed more information on "what do i do now?" Is a nice reminder of why you should slap the drink out of any womans hand that is pregnant and drinking.

Gone Baby Gone Denis Lehane 412 pgs. I've enjoyed all the Lehane books I've read so far. All are set in Boston and are very intense. He is also willing to take some plot risks and suprising you when characters don't act like they are in a tv movie of the week where everything works out.

Currently reading, The Face of Battle - Nonfiction book that goes through three different battles and describes the difference in what soldiers experainced. Waterloo, a WWI battle and the battle on Agincourt (sp?). Also reading The Closers, another mystery this one by Michael Connolly. I'm noticing so far I'm heavy on the mystery genre. I need to find something really different to read next.

Best movie I've rented recently The Devil Wears Prada. Both the wife and I enjoyed it.
Best movie I went to recently Letters From Iwo Jima. Good solid war movie but not Oscar Best Picture material.
Worst movie I've rented recently The White Countess. Soooooooo slooooowwww. Painful.

The Reading Year in Review 2006

2007-02-12T03:42:00.000-08:00

This was my first year in the “Contest” and oh what a year it was. Humbling would be the descriptor of my adventure. As a graduate of George Fox I was confident going in, I felt like, “ hey if a kid in school can crank out 555 books and a 181,486 thousand pages, I’ve gotta be good for at least 10,000 pages no prob……”
Well progress was steady for a time but then I ran headlong into the unholy trinity or rather the Bermuda triangle of literature. It all started at the end of school. I’m a guidance counselor at a K-9 school in Kaohsiung Taiwan. When I started the contest I surveyed my chances at a respectable showing…..Yes I have two children…….Yes I have a full time job……..Yes I coach girls basketball……..Yes I teach Sunday School ……but I have the ace in the hole, the granddaddy of trump cards….. I had the summer off. I’ll be able to crank out books like a TSA screener chucking lotion.
But summer was where it all ended. Running to catch a flight I grabbed my two year old and a Ken Follet book. Now I was fairly sure I had enjoyed an earlier Follet book, something about WW2. This particular book “Whiteout” was something to do with a biolab, missing weapons, a snow storm, and strained family relations. It’s the absolute worst book I have ever read in my life. It was written so bad it actually was making me angry reading it, kinda like a surly seventh grader spitting words at you. Then I picked up Da Vinci Code and it got worse. This book is the end of Christendom as we know it? It’s a hum drum murder mystery where the author all the sudden mumbles something about “Jesus had a wife and kid” All I wanted to know was why Tom Hanks did that to his hair.
The final nail in the coffin to my summer reading was Stephen Kings Dark Tower series. An uncle had recommended them. An uncle that in the past has given good advice for books, tv series, and movies. As soon as the monorail started talking I should of thrown that book right out the window and as I continued to struggle through telling myself, it’s gotta get better, it’s gotta get better……………until finally I surrendered. I picked up the remote to my in laws TV, I turned on VH1’s Hogan Knows Best, and slid off into nothingness. Crystal Farnsworth would be so ashamed.
So that’s the dark part of my story for my first “Contest.” The best books of the year were Lonesome Dove (thanks for the recommendation) and Gilead. I’m determined to break the 10,000 mark this year. Thanks

Brown Dan The Da Vinci Code 496pg
Carr Caleb The Alienst 597pg
Clark Chap Hurt 195pg
Follet Ken Whiteout 384pg
Greene Graham Brighton Rock 288pg
Hessler Peter River Town 399pg
King Stephen The Gunslinger 224pg
King Stephen The Drawing of the Three 480pg
King Stephen The Wastelands 590pg
King Stephen Wizards and Glass 688pg
Lehane Dennis A Drink Before the War 277pg
Lehane Dennis Sacred 400pg
McMurtry Lonesome Dove 945pg
Mueller Walt Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture 233pg
Robinson Marilynne Gilead 247pg

Total 6443pgs

ok ok im writing already

2006-10-16T05:38:00.000-07:00

It's been a loooooong time since the nomad fired up the ol blog so it's about time to get back at it. One of the reasons I started this blog is to keep a list of what I've read this year. I'm in a reading contest that I have no doubt of losing yet just being in the contest makes me feel somehow more intelligent. At least more intelligent than my fantasy football team makes me feel, which would be like a loser. Anyway back to the point. The following link is the reading contest I'm keeping track for. If you'd like to join in please do. I enjoy this guys blog he writes for the Oregonian and does a good job as a muckracker and I think a closeted christian. His reading contest started as a way to get his kids to read, he would pay them by the page for any pages they read above what he did.

http://steveduin.blogs.oregonlive.com/default.asp?mode=blog&category=46196

The winner last year goes to the same university that I graduated from George Fox. She read 555 books, over 180,000 pages. I haven't added up mine yet but i'm not sure iv even broken 10,000. But hey it's my first year. Which reminds me I need to go read.

Pages and a Flick

2006-05-18T05:31:00.000-07:00

Here's an update on the current readings.
Hurt : inside the world of todays teenagers. Chap Clark pgs 195
Great book on the state of teenagers. As someone that spends almost as much time with teenagers as adults I can vouch that much in this book is right on. Unfortunatly it gives few ideas of what to do about it, other than the good ol fashioned spend time, get involved in their lives, love them where they are not where you want them. I was hoping for something much simpler. Like giving them a nugiiee.

The Wastelands. Stephen King pgs 590
This is number three in the Dark Tower series. It was not as good as number 2. I'm content with reading the rest of the series on the library's dime this summer.

A Drink Before the War. Dennis Lehane pgs 277
Author that wrote Mystic River. I liked the movie so I thought Id try out the author. This is the first book of a series he has written about a male and female private detective duo. All occuring in Boston. Fast read, pretty intense, looking forward to reading more.

Brighton Rock. Graham Greene pgs 288
Story about a young gangster thats much tougher in his mind than in reality, with a nice dose of short mans disease and you have a wreck waiting to happan. This book was written in the early 1900's and I was surprised how intense it was. I was also surprised at how by the end of the book I'm rooting for the guy not to make another idiotic choice but to no avail.

Mission Impossible 3
Now it could be that I haven't been to the movies in three months and that fact has weakened my critiqing skills but I really enjoyed it. Enough mindless action, with a splash of good acting when Philip Seymor Hoffman shows up to keep things moving along. It was a good ride.

This and That

2006-05-16T05:20:00.000-07:00

First off, apologies for how long it's been since the last post. It's not good to realize you post even less than the people you like to read and who you get pissed at when they go to long without posting. Sorry

Two more weeks of school and another year in the books. This year has been eventful on the work front. Many "counseling" issues. Sometimes I forget that counselor is my job title but not the last few weeks. Yikes! The end of the year always brings transition issues to the forefront for the students. The good thing is that it gets them in front of me and ready to listen. The bad part is it's really painful for them. So it's nice to be needed.
Next weekend I take out ninth graders on a last fling together down for a night at a resort in the south of the island. It is always a good time and an emotional one for them. Next year they will be spread out all over the world so we try and force them to bring some closure to their lives.

I'm looking forward to make the trip back to the states for our summer holiday. I think were getting used to all this travel. The first couple times there is alot of anticipation as you think about the plane and packing. Now it's become so routine it's like driving to Portland for the weekend. Riley is trying to walk. Scout is turning 16. Karen and I are just trying to keep up. Scout starts Kindergarden next year, which seems really weird.

We hope to see all off you in a few weeks.

2006-03-28T02:51:00.000-08:00

Pages

River Town by Peter Hessler pgs 399

This is a great memoir about a peace corp english teacher that was one of the first American's to live in the Chinese city of Fuling. He and another teacher are the only two (waiguorens, chinese for foreigner) in the city. Even though I reside not in China but in a certain renegade province, the book was full of descriptions and details that I quickly recognized. A personal favorite that is still making me laugh is Hesslers realization that the pollution causes his snot to be black when he blows his nose. He decides that instead of focusing on how bad the pollution is and how it' s unhealthy and horrible, he will just stop looking at his snot after he blows his nose. This attitude should be somehow injected into anyone that will be living overseas. It's a great example of creative problem solving or rather........just getting over IT!

Great read if you want a taste of what Chinese culture is all about and how to thrive within it. It's also really funny.

2006-03-05T03:56:00.000-08:00

Pages

Reading list since January.

The Alienist by Caleb Carr Pgs 597
Period detective novel taking place in New York City in 1896. As a group of detectives and psychiatrists (called Alienists then) hunt down the first serial killer. They are the first profilers, using new psycholgical theories to track down the killer. It's a good book, I enjoyed the descriptions of New York at the turn on the last century. The inclusion of early psychological babble seemed a little forced into the story and ultimatly seems to be little help in the outcome. It is well written and does have a couple of "hair standing up on the back of your neck moments."

The Dark Tower Stehpen King
I started this series having read the first two The Gunslinger and The Dawing of the Three, because of a recomendation from my wife's uncle who can always be trusted to give good advice on books, movies, obscure tv shows. The first was a little two ......... weird to get me hooked but the second captured my attention. It's way to complicated to try and explain other than there's a parallel universe and the main character The Gunslinger is able to enter and exit into and out of our world directly into people (kinda like posession). King wrote this series over twenty years and considers it his Lord of the Rings. I'll let you know how it goes.

2006-02-12T21:36:00.000-08:00

BONO

Follow the link to a great speech given by Bono of U2 at the annual National Prayer Breakfast. He speaks about economic justice and increasing the amount that rich nations give to the needy in Africa. http://edition.cnn.com/video/player/player.html?url=/video/us/2006/02/02/bono.speaks.cnn&wm=native_mac

If you would like to read it go here. http://liquidthinking.org/ scroll down to Febuary 3.

Blessings

2006-02-08T06:32:00.000-08:00

STEELERS WIN STEELERS WIN!!!!!!!!

ok ok they played horribly................
time to start thinking about next year.........

2006-01-24T03:06:00.000-08:00

STEELERS!!!!!!!

ok to say I'm excited that my Steelers have made it to the super bowl may be an understatement. I'm trying to contain my utter joy that they have once again made it to the big dance. Other than wearing my jeresy to work I've been able to maintain a sense of decorum but I'm afraid I'll soon be loosing my grip on reality and coming down with a little Super Bowl FEVER!!!!!

I can understand why all the fuss seems silly to others but I'v already blown past the point of caring. Since I've been 8 years old the Steelers have made it once to the Super Bowl. Every year I follow the ups and downs of the team, the four AFC Championship losses at home, the fumble a week ago that should of resulted in a loss when the game was over (i was acuatlly nauseous when Bettis fumbled and looked as if all was lost for another year.)
So back to two super bowls in 25 years( thats only as often as the Democrats win presidential elections) , i was reflecting that if i make it another 44 years im gonna get maybe three or four more times to enjoy MY team in the big game. (ok ok maybe this IS a silly attempt to justify acting like a moron and doing something really rediculous like painting my face or buying Steeler toilet paper). Regardless, I'm fired up and can't wait for the game.

Unfortunatly my four year old daughter can't write a blog describing getting up at 6 am on Monday and watching her father standing in the middle of the living room and yelling "HIT HIM!" at the TV.

I love football.

2006-01-14T05:19:00.000-08:00

I found a new site for music. Go here and listen to music, you can't request stuff but if you wait long enough you'll hear "Sixteen military wives" by the Decemberists. It's hilarious.

www.relevantmagazine.com and go to the tv section.

2006-01-09T02:28:00.001-08:00

FAST FOWARD >>>>>>>>>

Well due to laziness on my part, the Nomad has been quiet for two months so it's time to fast forward through December to get you all caught up on whats been going on.

Pages
The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
Historical fiction that imagines if Charles Lindberg had ran for president and beaten FDR, made a deal with the Nazies and then began discriminating against the Jews. Good book, kinda creepy but shows how the slow erosion of one groups rights could happan even in a free society.

Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller
Another entry from Mr. Miller. In this book he takes themes started in Blue Like Jazz concerning relational Christianity and tries to back them up with a more structured Theological arguments. Unfortantly it's not as funny as the free flowing Jazz. Still a good book that makes you think about what you believe and why you believe it.

Flicks - In order of best to worst (the nomad got to spend Christmas in Oregon and was able to watch four movies in two weeks as well as countless football games)

Munich - This is one of the best movies that I won't recommend other people see. It is beyond bloody. Now that doesn't seem real odd for a movie about assasins but........ it's REALLY bloody. It made me sick to my stomach. I'm not sure what Speilberg was trying to get at with the blood. It's worse than the beginning of Saving Private Ryan. Having said that it really is a great movie in terms of action but more importantly the issues it tries to deal with. Excellent dialoge probably will get an oscar nod for the screenplay. It's one that makes you think. It would be a great movie to use as a discussion starter on the nature of justice, revenge, terrorism, if you do what your enemy does are you becoming them. Did I mention the blood?

Syriana - Decent movie but bring your thinking cap. I'm still not sure exactly what happaned other than a little, oil, corruption, terrorism, arabs, CIA, and Matt Damon. Done in the same style as the movie Traffic a few years ago. Multiple interweaving story lines. Just a little more central plot and it would of been really good.

Harry Potter Goblet of Fire - Scary. These aint kids movies anymore. This one is the most intense. Felt like it really shed the kiddy movie feel and went straight for the book. I enjoyed it.

King Kong - Way to long. Kinda spoiled cause we've seen the dino's eat people in Jurassic Park. Although the fight with the trexes was well done.

That's enough for now.

2006-01-09T02:28:00.000-08:00

2005-11-07T06:43:00.000-08:00

Sorry

I forgot to attach this web address to the last post. This is an interview that Donald Miller gave to the Willamette Weekly. It can give you a taste of what his writting is like.
http://www.donaldmillerwords.com/pdf/willieweek.pdf

2005-11-07T06:04:00.000-08:00

Pages

Blue Like Jazz - Donald Miller 243 pgs
Nonreligious thoughts on Christian Spirituality.

Teaching in a Christian school has been interesting for me. I didn't go to one and always swore I'd never send my own kids to one. I don't believe that as Christians we need to spend so much time and effort protecting our children from the evils of the world. Making our own special schools or locking up our dear wives to the tyranny of home school. Withdrawing further and further from society and then bitching when Christianity becomes irrelevant to that same society.

Donald Miller has written a great book to get us thinking about what is the relevancy of Christian Spirituatily and challenges us to think about the practical aspects of how we live out our faith. This is the first of his books I read and I enjoyed it enough to do another. I was introduced to him by my sister in law this summer at the annual campout. She was reading another of his books and I blew through a few chapters on the beach. He's is funny and direct. Honest about his own faith and struggles. It's always been a shame that so many of us Christians are unable to admit the sins and struggles we face instead relying on our latest designer cloths or IKEA catalog to send the message the we have everything under control. Nothing to see here folks we are holy and without blemish. Yea right.

If you looking for a fresh perspective on your Christian walk give this book a read. Just be ready for a big dose of conviction to head your way.

2005-10-17T05:24:00.000-07:00

Pages

The Liar’s Club – Mary Karr 320pgs

This was one of those books that I saw on the pallet at Costco for about a year and never picked up even, though I was thinking, look at the size of that pallet that must be a great book. This summer I spotted it in a used book store. It’s a memoir of a girl growing up with a mom that’s more than a little off her rocker. Writing is strong particularly the word choice used in describing aspects or her family. The section where she describes her grandmother’s room smelling of water moccasin is powerful. If you can’t guess, water moccasin is not a pleasant smell and grammie ain’t pleasant either. I won’t soon forget the description of her mother in a psychotic episode burning all the families possessions including the author’s dresses when she was about six.

The book seemed destined to do nothing other than get me to ask for a fistful of anti- depressants or a fifth of whiskey. Howeve,r the last two chapters describing what happened after everyone has grown up was surprisingly uplifting and forces me to change my review from “run away” to “approach cautiously.” Ultimately it’s testimony to the power of a young mind to survive untold abuse and still turn out a functioning adult. Avoid it if your needing to be cheered up.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0140179836/qid=1129206898/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-8692782-3336902?v=glance&s=books

2005-10-14T05:34:00.000-07:00

PAGES

Father Elijah: An Apocalypse Michael D. O’Brien 597pgs

A coworker gave me this book, after first asking me “if I had a problem with the Catholic Church.” Quickly reviewing the last 24 hours in my mind and finding nothing of note I replied, “not so far today.” The book is about Father Elijah a Catholic priest (formerly Jewish holocaust survivor) who is sent to the man the Church believes could be the next Anti-Christ in order to convert him. Think “Left Behind” from a Catholic perspective, only with decent writing.

Woven into the book are a number of conversations that Elijah has with other characters concerning the existence of evil in the world, God’s character, and salvation that are powerful and uplifting. These sections of the book are good enough to forgive some of the more typical plot devices. This is the best “Christian fiction” book I’ve read.

Link to Book - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0898706904/qid=1129206652/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-8692782-3336902?v=glance&s=books

2005-10-13T03:33:00.000-07:00

Burger King

The excitement that accompanies the discovery of a new fast food resturant when you live overseas borders on the scary. By scary, I mean the scary when you meet a guy that likes his computer a little toooooo much, or a facepainter (seinfeld reference), or a commuter that won't stop looking at yea. So it was with great excitment (which rightly would concern anyone thats never lived overseas) that we have discovered a Burger King in our midst. It's well hidden (in a hospital's food court) but only about 15 minutes away. Now I know that some of you are thinking, "No, Nomad. I've seen you at Burger King here in the ol usa and your excitement is always excessive." So to further defend myself I will relay the conversation that was had between three other expats as we were on our quest for BK.

It started with a description of all the places each of us had been. Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea etc. Did we discuss the beautiful vistas, the culture, the museums, the history of the places we visited? Of course not. We discussed what fast food you could get where, Thailand has Dairy Queen, Korea has Popeye's Chicken, Hong Kong Burger King. Ahhhhh what I'd give for a little Dairy Queen soft serve.

Really any store from home creates these intense flashbacks to the lives we had before we were here. Thats how Starbucks gets us to continue to pay four bucks for coffee. It's also how they get all of you to spend four bucks for coffee. We do it to walk inside the store and remind ourselves of where we come from and what we are. It's actually part of Starbucks marketing plan to create a sense of home and place so that people will attach themselves to the brand. It's what McDonalds does to little kids. Starbucks just does it to yuppies. I'm perfectly fine allowing Starbucks to manipulate my emotions for a buck. But when I feel the same emotional sense of home from a Biggie Fry and Biggie Diet Coke, I get a little worried.

Get the keys and kids Dear, it's whopper time!

Blogger question, How do I make a title for my post? No spot comes up to fill in when I create a post?

2005-10-11T17:11:00.000-07:00

Scoreboard-

Puerto Rico
Karen 1
Jim 1
Nomad 1

Steelers 24 Chargers 22 YEAAAA! (sorry dad)

NewkirkKnuckles lose to Hillbilly (Fantasy Football)

2005-10-09T05:25:00.000-07:00

OK........maybe I have a problem.

On our way home from being professionally developed yesterday, a few of us thought it would be a good idea to play the game Puerto Rico. Finding ourselves without the actual board game we thought no problem will just keep track of it all in our heads...............yikes! Needless to say we lasted about four rounds before realzing that this was way to much to keep track of in your heads. It did however waste a good amount of time and seemed to move the trip along.

Puerto Rico has become the game of choice here on the Third Floor this year and we are looking forward to breaking out the expansion pack as I and all my coworkers have this week off. A goodly number of us won't be traveling and plan to do some reading, gaming, and movie watching. I'll keep you posted if I come across anything worthwile.

2005-10-05T07:16:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Third Floor.

The name comes from the floor on which I live in a small renegade province that was once occupied by the Land of the Rising Sun and now is occupied by the Land of Haze and Smog.

This is my third year living on the Third Floor and I thought it would be a good idea to start with where I am. The Nomad portion of the name comes from constant state of movement. Nomad means "a people who have no fixed home and move according to the seasons." That certainly describes our current state. Although the weather doesn't determine our seasons, for that we rely on the school year calendar, they are seasons none the less.

I am hopeful that this blog will be a place for people to come share a laugh, a book, a movie, a cultural experiance, a travel tip, or just a bit of themselves.

2005-10-05T07:00:00.000-07:00