Braces

Ya, I got braces...once again. Just got the top row put in today. my stupid wisdom teeth through off everything hence the braces. ontop of all of that I have to get those extracted. sheesh. My teeth hurt so I figured I'd vent on how gay the next year and a half is going to be. Go listen to the new coldplay single Viva la vida. I think it's my favorite song by them. good stuff. And while you are listening to that song, drive over to my house on friday to watch some old indiana jones goodness in all its VHS goodness. all are welcome... I kid, I can think of a lot of people I wouldn't want to be there off the top of my head. may have invited a few of them already. Better put my crowbar by the door.......

On an unrelated note, I bought the movie Diary of the dead the other day and sat down to watch it with some friends. I have to say it's my favorite zombie flick. Not only is it done through the perspective of someone video taping, it's got some pretty legit characters. I don't want to ruin it for you all, but there is a pretty cool amish guy in the flick who kicks butt? And did I mention that he is deaf?

I need Illumination!

I personally believe one of the most important things to have that people underestimate is the power and usefulness of a good flashlight. I do an honest bit of camping/doing stuff in the wilderness when I have the chance. A flashlight is always good to have when you're doing stuff outdoors. It's not too hard to think so right? They also come in handy if your car breaks down, or to just having laying around just in case the power goes out in your home or worse. Now ordinary flashlights do get the job done to the best of their abilities, but I don't think it's good enough. Cheap little flashlights you get at walmart or wherever it is you shop aren't the most durable things on the planet. If I were to label them, I'd probably call them disposable. Plastic bodies and lenses crack, bulbs burn out or shatter, batteries run out.

I think it's important to reflect on Murphy's law here. If your flashlight can fall out of your hand and smash into a bazillion pieces when it hits the floor, then it probably will. Apply it to whatever little delicate anatomical part of said flashlight. Those things, for the most part, aren't meant to be tough. Maglites (those big metal monsters) are the exception. Those things are pretty tough. That may be, but they aren't all too bright. You could have your maglite trained on something close by and only see everything around what you are focusing on due to the accursed halo effect. That's unacceptable I believe.

Focus is a very important factor when it comes down to emergencies/life or death situations. You need to focus on the flat tire, on the person's eyes, on that animal moving through the bushes towards you, and so forth. Flashlights are good for self defense, I would even venture better than carrying a knife or gun. (how are you going to shoot someone when you can't even see them?) now D cell maglites are pretty big lights if you have held one/own one. They are good for self defense in that respect. They are like heavy metal batons. You don't want someone close enough to have to beat them with it though.

I guess some of you may be wondering why I am lecturing you all on flashlight what not and so forth in the first place. I believe it is important stuff to know and a little bit of knowledge I'd like to pass down to you all. Awhile back I went about trying to solve these little flashlight predicaments on my own. I was very pleased with the results. If any of you have been camping with me or have just been around when I decided to show off my flashlight you know I was quite pleased with it. Due to unforeseen circumstances that particular flashlight has left my hands, so I am currently looking for a replacement. This is what I have in mind:
Pretty cool huh? I need a flashlight when I go to walk my dog around the block at night/ checking out those ever present bumps in the night, spending time outdoors, and all around fun and excitement that occurs in a period of 24 hours. Bit pricey compared to what I had before, but I think it's important to strive for excellence once in awhile. For those of you interested in a good flashlight, check out www.surefire.com A good flashlight that is pretty affordable as well is the G2 Nitrolon. (my old flashlight) around 40 dollars, come with 2 lithium batteries. I think I got free shipping from them, but I think it might have been a special. I've also seen them at Sports Chalet as well as the knife store in the cerritos mall. I'd classify them as a good investment.

What's on my shelf

In alphabetical order by last name of author. (not on my shelf, but for listing purposes. Some of my books are big.) This is a list of books that I have read/plan on reading/finishing. X is for finished, fractions for how much I've read already. Books are in the same series if not spaced.

Rob Bell

[x] Velvet Elvis

[x] Sex God

Terry Brooks

[] First King of Shannara
[x] Sword of Shannara
[x] Elfstones of Shannara
[x] Wishsong of Shannara
[x] Scions of Shannara
[x] Druid of Shannara
[x] Elf Queen of Shannara
[X] Talismans of Shannara
[x] Ilse Witch
[x] Antrax
[x] Morgawr
[x] Jarka Ruus
[x] Tanequil
[x] Straken

Dan Brown

[x] Angels and Demons
[1/3] Davinci code. (sooo boring.)

Tom Clancy

[x] Red Storm Rising

[x] Teeth of the Tiger

[3/4] Red Rabbit (I don't know why I stopped.)

Michael Crichton

[x] Prey

[] The Lost World

[] Andromeda Strain

Ted Dekker

[x] Black
[x] Red
[x] White
[x] Showdown
[x] Saint

[x] Thr3e

Daveed Gardenstein-Ross

[x] My Year inside Radical Islam

Jean Craighead George

[x] My side of the mountain

Bear Heart

[x] The Wind is my mother: The Life and teachings of a native american shaman

Homer

[x] The Iliad and The Odyssey

Brian Jacques

[x] Redwall
[x] Mattimeo
[x] Marlfox
[] Martin the Warrior

Timothy Keller

[] The Reason for God: Belief in an age of skepticism

Stephen King

[x] Cell


Harold S. Kushner

[1/2] To Life!: A celebration of Jewish being and thinking (good. I think I was working on a good fiction book so I dropped it)

C.S. Lewis

[] The Magician's Nephew (now I recall reading the whole collection when I was younger, but I'm reading them all over again, so I'm not counting the earlier reads)
[x] The Lion, the With, and the Wardrobe
[] The Horse and his boy
[x] Prince Caspian
[] The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
[] The Silver Chair
[x] The Last Battle

[x] Mere Christianity
[x] Screwtape letters
[] The Problem of Pain
[] The Great Divorce
[] Miracles
[] A Grief Observed

Eric Nylund

[x] The Fall of Reach
[x] Ghosts of Onyx

Frank Peretti

[x] The Visitation

[x] The Oath

[x] This Present Darkness
[x] Piercing the Darkness

Mary Shelley

[x] Frankenstein

Lee Strobel

[] The Case for a Creator

Bram Stoker

[x] Dracula

Well that is what I plan on reading that is on my shelf. I've read more books than just those for sure. Clearly I'm bored.

Legacy (EDITED)

I've put some major thought into this recently. I'd be lying if the song Legacy by Sanctus Real had nothing to do with it. But I thought I'd provide somethings for you guys to chew on with me.

"I want to leave a legacy to be remembered."

I don't think it's too hard to say that everyone wants to be remembered. Who wants to just fade away into history anyway right? This doesn't exclude me. Of course I want people to look back on me and the life I lived and say: "man, Cory was on to something there. He did some great things and he was a great person." I've been wrestling with this concept in itself. Here's a question: Should we want to be remembered? Should that be the reason we are living out our lives? Right now I'm even wrestling with how to word all of this correctly so I apologize if I may be confusing. Should we be living out our lives today, as christians, doing good deeds and so forth to be remembered for them? It sounds selfish worded that way right?

Here's another question: should we want to be remembered? It sounds right to say that we should be doing things for the good of others without feeling like we have to be recognized for them. So we are living by Christ's example and serving others and putting them before ourselves but no one remembers us for it. Is that even possible? Is it possible for us to live by Christ's example without being remembered? I realize that this has turned into a rat's nest of questions and confusion but bear with me. (if you are up to the challenge that is) While I was on this train of thought, it has brought me to analyze my own life. Do I want people to remember the things I've done? More importantly, what are they going to remember me by? Am I going to leave a legacy of jealousy and conceit or are they going to remember me as some one who stepped out of his comfort zone, went the extra mile, and actually LOVED people?

Altogether I believe this whole thought process hasn't been entirely fruitless. I've learned that there are some corrections that I need to make in my own life. By playing the 'what would they remember me by.." game I've learned I need to worry about someone other than myself. If this involves leaving my own legacy by doing things to be remembered by or letting myself and my actions fade into the shadows of history I cannot say. I don't claim to understand all of this, these are just questions I thought have no clear cut answer. I know there are so many other little subjects and discussions involving our faith that are just so trivial and confusing but from what I've learned by thinking about this, it isn't any different. I think this subject doesn't get as much attention as it deserves. I believe it plays an important part in our spiritual development and it shouldn't go unnoticed. In any case, those are a couple of questions I thought I'd pose to you all because I'd like to hear what you all think. Discussions have never gone over well on my blog but I'm hoping this one does. I might follow it up with my more personal thoughts afterwards. Until then, this post is open to discussion! Now go!

EDIT:

So I've been thinking about this discussion still and reading all of your comments and I've come to the conclusion that we all have a legacy to leave. Our legacy doesn't belong solely to us, but rather, we share it. As followers of Christ, who try to live our lives based on his example I believe that we are becoming part of Christ's legacy, and may in fact be his legacy. "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, and of the son, and of the holy spirit.." Not idle words. We'd be inviting people to take part in Christ's legacy and take it further. So I guess I'm saying Christ's legacy is our legacy. In this sense, I would say it's very important what kind of a legacy we leave behind then.

Since Kevin did it...

My b-day is only 6 days after his. I don't expect these gifts anyway but I just feel like running through some stuff that I need/would like to have.

24 season 6 (the collection would be complete for now, and I never finished it)

Spy griffin glasses http://www.amazon.com/Spy-Griffin-Sunglasses-Black-Gloss/dp/B000XQR590/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=apparel&qid=1207709337&sr=8-13
(I lost my other glasses at school. not nearly as expensive as these, but it was a terrible loss. I'm using my beloved aviators for now.)

Another book shelf (my current one is getting quite crammed)

Gungrave complete set (loved it, but never finished it)

anything people think I would like (it could be random. Kevin got me a mini lawn gnome last year. Inside joke kind of, but lawn gnomes are cool)

Donald Miller collection (kevin told me his books were all rolled into one. I have not been able to find the doggone thing. Not to mention I never finished "Searching for God knows what." Thanks mike dunbar.)

Get to work, or don't and just pretend you did and imagine my gratitude towards you for getting me something.

Oldies but goodies/I thought it would never come!

Spring break! It's finally arrived. To my misfortune it arrived to late for me to attend the church TJ trip this year. Epic Fail CSUF, Epic fail. Anyway, I'm free all week. Also, this saturday, come experience true nostaligia with me as I sit down to watch some good old fashion disney favorites. I'm going to dust off the old VHS player and watch such greats as the lion king, 101 dalmatians, and so on and so forth. Let me know if you want to come and if you want to bring a movie. I need to find some one who has Hercules.

Any who, I was dusting off the drawing pads the other day and came across some stuff that I thought was cool. A couple of drawings I did last year. I like looking back at my old stuff. Drawings are in no particular order. Pen and Ink version of Michelangelo's La Pieta

Angel with laurel crown

Angel with horn, and then the rest are just knights doing stuff.

Never finished this one.

I Am Unstoppable, I am the Cannonball

That's one of my favorite lyrics from one of my favorite songs (Cannonball), from one of my favorite bands: Five Iron Frenzy. The song has really gotten me through a bunch of tough times. It's become one of my alias' in online games but so much more. The imagery is just so appealing in that A Cannonball is a destructive and unstoppable force. I love it. That is in reference to my spiritual life of course. If times are rough, God will make me into this Cannonball. Unblemished and faultless. Just smashing through my problems like they are nothing at all. I love it. Times have been rough lately, but sitting here at the computer looking at how far I've come I know that I can take what gets thrown at me and then some. Hulking, Smashing, I come crashing; Nothing like when I was small. I am unstoppable, I am the Cannonball. That feeble coward that you knew has undergone an overhaul. I am Unstoppable, I am the Cannonball.

This post had no real moral or insight you guys can take. I just felt like posting it.