Good, Bad, and Ugly Links

I've to seen to many crazy things lately to post on fb, so here they are.

The Good:

What a cool Story

The Bad:

The absolute grumpiest man in the world

Worst kid in the World

The Ugly:

Nobody better ever use this an excuse, for anything

Wrong, but funny

Classic

Classic Fail

See more funny videos and Funny Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Friend Request pt. Deux

Ok, I still don't know what the deal with is Aloha Jeff or San Jose, but I got another weird friend request this week. I hope this is not becoming a pattern. This week I got a 3 paragraph long friend request from a guy in Minnesota, who I also do not know at all. Here's just an excerpt:

"Hi Mark,

We're both members of the Facebook REI Group which makes us nature lovers. I live in Elk River, Minnesota and spend alot of time on Minnesota's North Shore. Infact, I have a trailer in the Grand Marias campground, year round. It is my second home. I don't spend much time in the campground because I'm usually out photographing. I travel when possible and have been to Oregon, California, Arizona and a number of other states in the past year or so with the primary intention of photographing natures beauty."

A few observations, being a member of the REI group on facebook does not make me a nature lover (even If I do appreciate nature), maybe I'm just a fan hoping for some good deals (yes).

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, what's this business about the location of your trailer. Did I mention I don't know this guy, who starts a conversation by mentioning the location of their second home? (Creepers do)

Check out another excerpt:

"My work is dedicated to capturing the emotions I feel to my surroundings and reflect those in my art. I hope you find some enjoyment with what I create."

?

I think he's just drying to drum up business for his business, but seriously, there are better ways to do that.

Friend Request

I got this friend request on facebook from this guy named Maui Hawaii.

"If you are mark law from san jose i have bad news for you aloha jeff."

Well I have never been to San Jose, so I guess I am in the clear.

I wonder who this guy is, and poor Mark Law from San Jose.

The 4ourth

Went down to Florida for canoeing and fireworking with the family for the fourth.  I discovered that it is a lot easier to paddle a canoe by myself (I didn't push my fellow paddler out, there was only three of us, so I was the odd man out) and you don't want to ever step in detritus.  I got out of my boat to help my dad and brother tip their boat back over and I sunk 3 and a half feet into sucky (I think that's a word) mud.  The more I tried to get out, the further I sunk, kind of like quicksand (I immediately thought of Bear Grylls).  I almost lost my keens (yikes), I had to reach down and pull my feet out and then pull my shoes out.  Long story short, half my body was covered in black mud and my dad and brother didn't need my help.   Anyway canoeing in the springs is a lot of fun and it makes me want to get a boat real bad.

I found a new favorite web site and it's awesomely awkward.

These 2 blogs are what I too, maybe one day

   tylerstanton

   trippcrosby

Oh, Michael Jackson died,  btw I don't care what people say, I have very little respect for that man

I will miss Billy Mays though.  I watched a marathon of his show.

Dad Day

Today was Father's day, no matter who or what started it, it's a day for dads.  As far as I'm concerned, I have blessed with a great one.  I have been halfway around the world and back and no one comes close. 

   I find myself being really thankful for the past year and the chance to hang out with my family and my dad.  We went from nightly mountain bike rides to working nightly at the new house.  Which reminds me of something my dad said to me when I was 14.  I was helping him install a dishwasher i.e. holding the light, passing wrenches and it probably took 2 hours longer than it was supposed to.  When were done, he said "One day you'll get a t-shirt that says "I survived installing a dishwasher with my dad."" Little did I know the foreshadowing in that line Every year I think this will be the year my dad and I get t-shirts that say what we survived installing/building, but the list gets bigger each year.  Never did I think we would go from dishwasher-to-kitchen addition-to-bathroom remodeling-to-basement finishing-to-whole house renovation and everything in between. 

    I don't know of many people who get the chance to spend so much time with their father and have a father that wants to spend so much time with them.   Whatever my brother were into, while were growing up, our dad was right there with us, doing it alongside.  I'm talking softball, baseball, flag football, volleyball, paintball, and mountain biking.  I could say so much more, but that wouldn't be our style.  So here's to my Dad, who decided to give us the best gift of all, his time. 

Moved

Let's see, last week we moved to our new house, after 5 months of nights and weekends worth of work.  It's not all the way done, but its mostly done.  Talk about a boatload of work, I'll have to post some pictures at some point.  Anyway my brother's and I new room is smaller than the old one, so I built a hanging bed this weekend to make more room.  It's pretty sweet.

I don't know why, but every time I get a haircut, it's interesting experience.  This last week I was getting a long overdue haircut.  I didn't think it was that bad, but I was informed by the "stylist" (I think), that I looked like a conehead and I had rat ears.  I'm not the best with compliments, but I pretty neither of those work.  I also wonder how old I'll be before they quit asking me what grade I'm in and where I am going to go to college.

  

Doin' It

So, a few weeks ago I said I had announcement coming.  

I have five, some less important, but still noteworthy.

5. I have developed an addiction to red cream soda

4. I like everything Jeremy Riddle sings,  

he's such a good guy too.

3. I'm totally doing Fires Creek Rim Trail at the end 

of the summer. This has been a thorn in my side for 

about 3 years, ever since we tried to do the 5-day 

hike in one weekend and (FAILED).

2. My family is moving this week to the new house. 

After 4 months of renovating, we're moving, but we

are not done, sigh.

1. I'm taking the job as the BCM intern at Mercer 

Univ. in Macon. This was not exactly planned, 

but God has His ways and His plan. I'll be there 

for the next school year. It's what you call ironic, 

because I have been known to give less than 

glowing reviews of Macon in the past and I'll 

leave it at that. I am excited, its a great 

opportunity.

Forget the caption, this baby is hilarious

Biz-to-the-y

I haven't blogged in awhile, because I have been more than a little preoccupied.  We are still trying to get our house done.  Its getting towards the end, so that's good, it's going to be a really good day when we get moved in.  

I really like "Sweetly Broken" by Jeremy Riddle right now

May 5th is shaping up to be a killer day, Mat Kearney and Future of Forestry (free song) are coming out with new cds.  It seems like I have been waiting 2 years for both of these bands to make some more great tunes.

Don't be that guy films is back at it and this is there new video

Parental lock is genius

I know this is last week's news, but Miss California should be Miss 

USA, she was definitely prettier and has morals (something I 

always wondered about with beauty queens).  I don't like being 

mean to people, but from what I know about this Perez hilton 

character, I think I have seen him somewhere before.

God is reminding me that trials are to remind me where my strength lies, and it's not in this tired body.

Well, keep on trucking reader's anonymous, I'm going to sleep in 4, 3, 2, and . . . .

Across the Pond

I saw this today.  And it reminded me of two of my favorite videos from Britain's got talent(which I am pretty sure is infinitely better than our version stateside).

I like to watch these every once in awhile, they're like those inspirational posters people have in their office.

and this one

Awesome?

I like to watch people who think they are awesome.  It's like watching a train with no brakes heading for a brick wall.  

March to Madness

There is only one time a year when you can do this and get away with it:

Its that time of year when people all over the country take part in something they know almost nothing about and cheer for teams they don't even know the location of.  I am one of those people who gladly pretends I  know something about basketball and fills out a bracket, hoping that I get some right and look like a genius, and win a pool and get some money.  My bracket is usually a schedule of the teams I want Florida to face on their way to the eventual national championship.  This worked once and it was great, I felt smart and that I knew basketball.

This year Florida has one college player, and some high school fill-ins, leaving me in a jam.  So I filled out my bracket high seeds and prophetic cinderellas (alas, the golden slipper did not fit this year).  I usually fill out a couple of brackets on different sites to maximize my winnings.  But this year I made all my brackets different, to maximize my chance of being right.  Now I have a problem, I feel like a cheater.  One of my brackets has the final four right and is in the top 99%, but it is hollow, because the rest aren't nearly that close.  So I really can't brag about being right, because I was also wrong.  

Oh the Madness

The Promise

One of the best speeches ever, and proof that short and sweet work.

Are You a Fan of Delicious Flavor?

Let me just say that I haven't posted in awhile because I have extremely busy and tired, between my job and renovating the new house, it makes for some really long weeks.  At the same time, I have a strange urge to ramble about something, I just don't know what, maybe another day.   

This is my favorite poem (I think I am feeling random, not a rambler)

Gaily bedight,
A gallant knight,
In sunshine and in shadow,
Had journeyed long,
Singing a song,
In search of Eldorado.

But he grew old,
This knight so bold,
And o'er his heart a shadow,
Fell as he found,
No spot of ground,
That looked like Eldorado.

And, as his strength,
Failed him at length,
He met a pilgrim shadow;
"Shadow," said he,
"Where can it be,
This land of Eldorado?"

"Over the mountains
Of the moon,
Down the Valley of the Shadow,
Ride, boldly ride,"
The shade replied,
"If you seek for Eldorado!"

I like it cuz it's in one of my favorite movies El Dorado (John Wayne) and its by E. A. Poe and its fun to recite.

I apologize for the lameness of this post, but in other more exciting news,  I might have a reasonably large announcement to make in a week or two (Hint: It's not a baby or anything like that).

THE BEST HOLIDAY YOU HAVE NEVER HEARD OF

There is a day that comes around once a year.  The date is not definite and can change from year to year, but it is usually the first week of March.  The reason most people have never heard of this holiday is that it is a holiday for a select few, I only started celebrating it 4 years ago.  Anyway that day was today.  My REI dividend came in the mail, Woohoo!  It's free money to my favorite store and they send a 20% off coupon with it, what could be better?  I think I start anticipating this day a few minutes after midnight on new year's eve.  I think I will buy this

Snow Day

Struck brightly by the winter 
when the snow falls thick and silent 
i can only hear you breathing 

i will follow a set of deep tracks 
other people all stay hidden 
as the cars rest under snow drifts 

so clearly the dark sky 
appears framed by cables 
so clearly your breath's white 
as you struggle to tell 

that the people we have become 
still lay awake hoping to hear airwaves 
say snow day 

as the day goes gray to grayer 
we don't think of all the struggle 
in our footsteps, it's behind us 

so clearly your eyes framed in the light decaying 
so quiet your words stood out when you were saying 
that people we have become 
all know there's more than the setting sun 
snow day 

we can want more 
we'll find out in the new morning 
we can want more 
we'll wait up to hear closings

Podcasting

So, this week I have discovered podcasts and I'm hooked.  They're so cool.  I usually just listen to music at work, but lately I've been convicted of redeeming the time.  My sister has been telling me to listen to Mark Driscoll podcasts.  Put the two together and 10 sermons later I'm stuck on podcasts.  I found that lots of preachers and Christian leaders have podcasts.  Its a great way to be immersed in the truth.  I'm sure I'll have more to say about this later.

 

Words can't describe

This kid cracks me up.

  

I don't know how old he is, but he's got like 60 videos if you want to see some more.

one more for the road

Storytime

So I promised an update on my latest adventures.  It's a pretty long story that goes back almost a year.

God knows our needs before we do and this is one situation where that is definitely true.   A few years ago when we lived in Lilburn, my aunt and cousin moved here from Florida and due to God working things out, my parents bought the small 3 bedroom next to our house and my aunt rented it out.  We moved out to Grayson during college and they stayed there.  Sometime last summer, the recession revealed its ugly downward head as it chewed out the innards of the housing market and quickly branched into almost every other area of the economy.   Important because my dad worked almost exclusively for residential home builders.  Also important because I moved back home after college.  Fast forward to a month ago and we put our house on the market, pretty much the best house ever, that's a fact, not opinion.  Lord willing, it will sell before the bank takes it.  As God works things out we have a second house and my aunt moved to an apartment and we are moving into her old house.   Crazy, for a bunch of reasons; 1) We are moving to a house next door to our old house of 10 years (I learned how to do remodeling on that house, my dad and I changed out the kitchen, the bathrooms and added an office).  2) The new house is the smallest in the neighborhood and the ugliest, no lie.  

So, we have started the latest Law family construction project, the fixing of our new house.  My aunt has dog that does not know what potty training is in the slightest.  Subsequently fixing the house has meant gutting the interior and replacing all the flooring and trim.  We also have plans to fix the outside, which is currently an eyesore.  We have had lots of help from friends and church people and luckily I do remodeling for a living.  One more instance of God's provision was my sister was able to come home this week to work and she was able borrow a pick-up truck.

In the midst of all of this I am going to try and take the MCAT again in May and get all of my med-school taken care of this summer.  I also interviewed 2 weeks ago to be a BCM intern for a year.  Its a longshot, but it is something I am passionate about and I am making myself available, we'll see.

Ok story over, if you read all of this and it made sense, congratulations, you are updated.  

In the future, I would rather write about stuff like this:

Cellphones and computer are wearing us out.

The adrenaline rush that comes with every ring and bing wears our bodies out.  That's why when people go on a technology break they feel energized and refreshed

Music News

So, I've wanted to update everyone on what I have been up to, but things keep changing, almost on a week-to-week basis.  Prov. 16:9  has never been more true.  More on that in my next post

Music Drop:

Brooke Fraser has an amazing voice and lyrics to match, thanks.

Turn off the Stars has a really good sound, kind of like coldplay

Bluetree's God of this City is inspiring

I really like Gateway Worship's Revelation Song and Heaven's Song 

VOTA is a new band and there song, Honestly has a really neat message, get it.

P.S. The new Mat Kearney single sounds really good 

25 things about me

25 things about me

1. I have 6 pairs of keens, best shoes ever.
2. I've had the same job for the past 8 years
3. Steepandcheap is a bane and boon to my life
4. I will buy almost anything if it says new on it, especially food.
5. I won the geography bee 2 years in a row
6. I've only lost "Never have I ever" twice.  (That's either a statement about me or my friends)
7. If I ever had to go Jason Bourne, there's a sleepy beach town in Brazil named Monsuaba
8. I've never used ebay
9. WWII fascinates me.
10. Schlotzkys=amazing
11. I got my first chemistry set in 2nd grade
12. Kids and old people like me, among others (I don't even know why)
13. I have fought a life-long battle with uncoordination (I'm still looking for the cure)
14. I would describe my fashion sense as clothing that is blue or gray
15. I have all 7 seasons of MacGyver
16. I want to get 2 big dogs one day and name them Grover and Cleveland
17. I like to cook for people
18. My first car was a '92 Ford Ranger with Kingswood Nurseries decals on the side
19. I talk a lot when I am really nervous.
    
20. I fake lose things often
21. I've lost 4 pairs of Oakleys, a cell phone, and an MP3 player 
22. I got lost somewhere along the way and I have become a internet video snob (I've acknowledged the problem and I am currently working on it)
23.  I used to hate talking on the phone, but now that I have texting.  I would rather talk on the phone.
24.  I did a science fair project on flying cars in high school
25. Probably the most surprising, I have more clothes than anyone else in my family. (If it still fits, why throw it away?)

Mark's Law: Don't Let your Dad's eat pie

Back in Business

I'm blogging again.  Since I am no longer in Rio and it is no longer summer, I started a new blog.  I'm not sure what all I will write about.  A little about me, a little bit of my thoughts, and funny videos.  

Mark's Law: Days that start with God are infinitely better than those that don't