The Adventures of ReNjamin...

Hiking During Portland Trip

2009-05-01T21:39:00.001-05:00

Skiing in Iowa

2009-02-08T14:49:00.003-06:00

Snorkeling in Jamaica

2008-12-08T20:27:00.009-06:00

Jamaica Photos!

2008-11-29T06:56:00.004-06:00

Yeah Mon!

2008-11-24T05:05:00.002-06:00

Reporting from my iPod touch (because where I am is a no laptop zone for me), I'm in the beautiful country of Jamaica! It's rebecca and I's honeymoon and so far it has been quite nice - warm sun, yum food, ocean sounds on the white sand beach - doesn't get much better.

TerraBlaze!

2008-09-28T09:24:00.005-05:00

There is some new lingo on the street. Unlike words like "tag hag" and "slash" that can be easily found in mainstream word definition encyclopedias like the Urban Dictionary, TerraBlazing is new and hip.

To be TerraBlazed, because it is a verb, is having your hair shaped by scissors, boar bristles, heated air, and the hands of a hair goddess who lives on earth. It is the act of having your cranium transformed into pure beauty, while at the same time discussing hilarium, such as 80's music, or how fusion resturants are too damn expensive, or the civil rights of camels.

TerraBlaze is also a noun referring to the state of your hair after being TerraBlazed. It is used in a sentence like so, "Dude, nice TerraBlaze; it's super poshglam." Some have been known to use the word as an adjective as well, but WARNING: this is a very cutting edge (pardon my excellent use of puns) way of using TerraBlaze. For example, "Jasmine, your hair is like so TerraBlazing! I dig it. Let's go to Coldstone, get some ice cream, and then bring it to The Outback and put it on a steak." "Ew, no, Laura! I'm a vegan today, maybe tomorrow." You know how it goes.

Anyway, if you'd like to be TerraBlazed and want a TerraBlaze that is TerraBlazing, contact Blaze and ask for Terra. And read up on your camels before you go. She's very knowledgeable on the topic and sometimes it is hard to keep up.

ReN

Vote for Change

2008-09-21T23:41:00.008-05:00

Hey Folks,

November is coming soon and that means we vote for a new president. Really we are voting for a whole administration. Vice president, cabinet, appointed officials, etc. So, this is a big deal and I'd like everyone to vote for the person who you think can help our country best in these difficult times.

If you are really interested in knowing what you are voting for I would recommend that you turn off your television, turn off the news; it's all basically garbage about personality attacks, slips of the tongue, and people's pastors. Go straight to the source and read the platform of the different parties. The links below will send you to their respective platforms:

Republican
Democrat
Green
Libertarian

Lastly, if you are not registered to vote, get registered. If you do not know if you are registered or not or if you want to register, go to this website for more information.

VOTE FOR CHANGE

Happy trails,
ReN

Wedding Slideshow

2008-09-14T21:14:00.004-05:00

Less than a month ago I got married. It was pretty much the best wedding I've ever been to... by far! Anyway, if you weren't there or you were there and wish to relive the wonderfulness that was my wedding - click on the sideways triangle play button above and to the left. In less that 4 minutes you will get to experience a rockin' time.

ReN

p.s. If you've seen the video on the RenBecca blog, this one is a newer & shorter version.

Lake Lawn Watch

2008-09-09T05:50:00.003-05:00

A little video I made in my spare time during my college summer job in the Lake Geneva area. This was before iMovie friends - all editing done on the camera as I went along. I know... I'm a regular Steven Spielberg.

I'm Married!

2008-08-18T20:38:00.004-05:00

Today's Adventure

2008-08-16T12:40:00.003-05:00

The adventure that I'm on today involves a big commitment - one that I am really excited to make. Marriage. Wish me luck!

Randy's Lecture

2008-07-27T08:59:00.006-05:00

Professor Randy Pausch died of cancer last week at age 47. Less than a year ago he gave a "last lecture", which became an instant sensation on YouTube. Considering that the clip is over an hour long and the average YouTube clip is about 3 minutes long (and not a lecture), it says something about how powerful this talk was. A lot of important life lessons embedded here. Take a look.

Read more about Randy Pausch HERE

Imagine

2008-07-17T23:29:00.003-05:00

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

- John Lennon

Iowa is Taking on Water

2008-06-15T10:28:00.006-05:00

If Iowa were a giant 56,000 square mile ocean liner, we would be sinking right now. Last I checked, out of Iowa's nearly 100 counties more than 80 are considered state disaster areas and the number being considered federal disaster areas, while still low, are increasing daily (as you may have noticed with disasters in recent years, the federal government tends to be a bit slow in their assessments of floods). One of those state and federal disaster areas is Johnson County; where I live. The picture you are seeing is an aerial view of the Coralville strip, a road I take to go to the University of Iowa every weekday. The University, by the way, is suffering as well. A large number of campus buildings are taking on more and more water as I write this post. Yesterday, I was helping to create a sandbag levy right next to a rushing river with houses submerged in the middle of it. Needless to say, that river is not normally rushing there, and those houses are normally inhabited and dry. While areas like Cedar Rapids and Cedar Falls are beginning their much needed recovery process, Iowa City and Coralville have yet to see the worst of this flood. We may not see water levels peak and recess until Monday or Tuesday. Until that time we'll just hope to stay afloat.

ReN

Oregon is Pretty... Pretty Awesome!

2008-06-07T16:27:00.005-05:00

Rebecca and I recently spent a week with our good friends Chris and DeeAnn in Portland, Oregon. The city is so unique with its amazing brews, views, and foods. We walked on the beach and got our feet wet with salt water and hiked up the hills and got our faces wet with fresh water falls. People in the Portland area love to bike, love being weird, like their locally grown produce, and their misty rain. The trip was even more fun because my friends Jaclyn & Gabriel were in town, my friend Pete and my friend John stopped in as well. I recommend a visit.

ReN

CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES

Home Stretch

2008-04-27T14:21:00.002-05:00

The second semester of the 5th year of my PhD education is nearing the end. In the next couple of weeks I've got some teaching to do, some research analysis to do, some clients to see, and a few other things to procrastinate until the summer.

This summer's going to be nice. Portland, Oregon to visit our dear friends. A bit of softball. Some dissertation work. Prepping myself for internship. And a small wedding.

Wish me luck,
ReN

Sick

2008-03-25T14:29:00.006-05:00

For the past half week I've been sick with some sort of virus. For the first couple of days I thought I may be going through some sort of messianic phenomenon of a bodily retracing of the observed occurances of the Christian Holy Week. But then after my cold-medicine wore out I realized that I probably wasn't mimicking Jesus' steps. a) I would have had to have died on Friday (which didn't happen - check when I wrote this - and despite what many people think, no Wi-Fi in heaven) and b) I should have resurrected on Saturday. Being bed ridden with a 103 degree fever is far from resurrection (see Saturday). If anything, the sickness has helped me overcome my messianic complex and has reminded me I'm only a human. Let's take a closer look:

Friday
Symptoms: Dizziness, headache, and a narcissistic belief that I'm not getting sick.

Saturday
Symptoms: Body aches, 103 degree fever, more dizziness, more headaches, and acceptance that I am indeed sick - next step treatment decisions.

Sunday
Symptoms: Coughing, 101 degree fever, more body aches, more dizziness, more headaches, and a divine anger for being bed-ridden for a second day in a row.

Monday
Symptoms: Sore throat, runny nose, sneezing, more coughing, more headaches, no more of the other stuff, and a denial that I'm sick at all.

Tuesday
Symptoms: Really runny nose, more coughing, more headaches, more sneezing, and learned helplessness (e.g., "Oh yes, that paper I'm supposed to be working on - but I'm sick" or "Oh yes, that cereal bowl I was supposed to put away - but I'm sick" or fill in "Oh yes, that ________ I was supposed to ________ - but I'm sick").

Wednesday
Symptoms: None, a genie will cure me.

ReN

Weekend in Chicago

2008-03-22T14:31:00.006-05:00

Hanging out in the city of Chicago with Rebecca and Jovan. We were there for a counseling psychology conference, but got a few chances to romp around the city and eat some tasty Chicago food.

A few of the places we had delicious food from:

Keefer's
Pizzeria Due
Heaven on Seven

ReN

Engagement Adventure

2008-03-21T07:56:00.003-05:00

This past Saturday I went for a hike in the woods with Rebecca (my lady friend) and came back from that hike engaged to her! So, preparing for a wedding in August is pretty much my current adventure at this point. We've decided to have a small wedding with mainly our family members, outside, at her home in Eau Claire - Wisconsin. Even a simple little wedding like ours is an enormous amount of work to plan. I understand now why some people decide to get married at the courthouse or in Vegas - wedding planning takes up some major head-space and can be awfully stressful and expensive. Anyway we're happy and have our own blog now.

ReN

TIL: The Album Leaf

2008-03-15T12:49:00.008-05:00

A long awaited installment of Things I Like or TIL for short. The Album Leaf or TAL for short is one of my most favorite bands in the world. There is no one way to describe their music. Electronic-alternative hybrid. Smooth-jazz mixed with some light-rock, minus the annoying vocals, and cheesy everything. Anyway, the band plays all their music on real instruments (guitars, violins, drums, pianos), but then feed all that music through computers, distortion pedals, and other unusual things that make it sound divine. If you're interested you can check out The Album Leaf's music at their MySpace site.
ReN

Sammy

2008-03-12T17:45:00.004-05:00

When I was a kid I had a pet rabbit named Sammy. Actually we had two pet rabbits, one named Sammy and the other Bert, but Bert died a couple weeks after we got him. Poor Bert. Sammy lived a happy long rabbit life - like 5 years or something. He was white, like an Easter bunny.

A couple of days ago I noticed the cat that I live with, Dora, making funny noises near the window to my office. When I looked out the window I noticed a small brown rabbit sitting at the foot of the window ledge (see camouflaged animal in the middle of the image above). That rabbit has been sitting outside my window for two days now and I believe has become friends with Dora. They just sit together for most of the day. The rabbit scanning the area for evil-doers and Dora watching the rabbit in facination. I like to think they've got each other's backs.

So I need help. Can you come up with a name for the rabbit for me? Throw down your favorite names as a post and I'll pick one.

Thanks,
ReN

You actually read this thing?

2008-03-10T16:47:00.003-05:00

So, I didn't realize people actually read my blog. Considering I've only posted a few things on it in the past year or so, I assumed that I had failed all my 3 or 4 fans. Well, since I put up my friend Damon skiing, I've gotten several e-mails from people reporting that they would like to see me post more. So I will.

ReN

Speed Damon

2008-02-29T21:58:00.005-06:00

I've been skiing a bit this winter. In Iowa. Yes, there is skiing in Iowa and it's not that bad. Sundown Mountain (or large hill) is right outside Dubuque. I like skiing. I feel really fast when I ski. Kinda like I am flying or... moving effortlessly over snow. Other than the skiing, I've been hibernating indoors finishing my Ph.D. By the way, the person in the shot is a friend of mine, Damon. I'm the shadow you see for just a second there.

ReN

Back from San Francisco

2007-08-27T12:14:00.002-05:00

I did not have flowers in my hair, but I did have a lot of fun in the San Francisco Bay Area last week. My family was there (minus my brother who has been at camp). My lady-friend joined me and a lot of psychologists were in town for the APA convention (which I did not go to). Anyway, Muir woods was beautiful, Alcatraz scary, the Golden Gate Bridge awe inspiring, and Berkeley was groovy as usual. All in all I had a superb time (I'm trying to bring back superb into the daily vernacular). Back in Iowa City, back to clinical work, and teaching at Augustana College full time.
ReN

Alaska: Part 2

2007-08-03T21:00:00.000-05:00

After kayaking for 3 days in Blackstone Bay, an unbelievable wedding in beautiful Seward, and 5 days in the Denali Backcountry - I'm tired. Alaska was great. If you wanna see some pictures check them out at my facebook by clicking below.

Alaska Pictures Part 1
Alaska Pictures Part 2

ReN

Alaska: Part 1

2007-07-15T18:45:00.000-05:00

I've arrived in Alaska. My cousins and I are getting ready for a 3 day kayaking trip through Prince William Sound. Today we went on a hike through the foothills of the Chugach Mountains in the town my cousin Chris lives in - Girdwood. The hike involved some hills, some mud, some streams, some rocks over creeks, and a hand powered tram cart used to clear a ravine (that was pretty cool).

It is absolutely beautiful here. I feel so much more at peace - away from the commerce and speed of where I normally live.
ReN

Jazz is OK

2007-07-12T18:06:00.000-05:00

So, in between my travels I had the opportunity to spend a couple of delightful weeks in Iowa City... my current home base. A layback college town - Iowa City during the summer is a great place to be. I paraded around at a Jazz festival downtown and tried each type of kabob available to me (I think it cost me about $30 to do this, but man was it yummy). My lady-friend Rebecca joined me in much jazz dancing in the streets with my newly shaved head. Later on in my break in Iowa were the Independence Day celebrations - corn dogs, carnies, and cold brews. Mini-golf was also had on the 4th. Yeah mini-golf! The fireworks in town were the most amazing ones I've ever seen in my entire 25 years of living. During the finale I thought my head was going to explode the display was so mind-blowingly bright, loud, colorful, and expansive. I was literally screaming for my life. In between games of Hand-&-Foot with Chris, Dee, and Rebecca I enjoyed some wonderful local music in coffee shops and outdoors. Oh yes! I also saw a few good on-demand movies (go rent "Who Killed The Electric Car" - more mind-blowing than fireworks). Now, I'm up in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin preparing for my trip to Alaska. Wish me luck!
ReN

What is Taize?

2007-07-05T11:14:00.000-05:00

While in France I stayed at an amazing place called Taize. In short it is a monastic community, but it is also much more. Located in the enchanted castle filled hills of Burgundy, France - Taize is a community of 100-or-so brothers who are living a life committed to prayer, poverty, and love. Sojourners from all over the world flock to Taize to experience the unique rhythm of life the brothers live. During each of the 3 daily services we spent 10 minutes in silence. The rest of the day provides organized activities and free time to get to know people from all over the world. One day myself and some friends from the US and Finland took a long walk through a forest to a local family owned vineyard. Had wine and walked back. It was a good time.
ReN

Planet Surfing

2007-07-03T14:16:00.000-05:00

So, I know I fell off the face of the Earth for a while, but I'm back. I just returned from an amazing trip to France. I stayed in a small town called Taize with a bunch of monks for a week. Young people from around the world visit this place to meet these brothers and learn about their way of life. It is quite rad. I made a friend from the Czech Republic and some friends from Finland and a few friends from Germany. I also got to eat a baguette on the Eiffel Tower during a lightening storm!

Maddening Rhythm

2007-03-18T08:13:00.000-05:00

"The grass seemed signaling to me with all its fingers at once; the crowded stars seemed bent upon being understood. The sun would make me see him if he rose a thousand times. The recurrences of the universe rose to the maddening rhythm of an incantation, and I began to see an idea... In short, I had always believed that the world involved magic: but now I thought perhaps it involved a magician. And this pointed a profound emotion always present and sub-conscious; that this world of ours has some purpose; and if there is a purpose, there is a person. I had always felt life first as a story; and if there is a story there is a story-teller."

- G.K. Chesterton

Derek Webb

2007-03-04T08:23:00.000-06:00

I went to a Derek Webb concert last night. It was a very cathartic experience for me as seeing him live always is. Of all the thousands of bands & singer-songwriters that I have in my iTunes library (I know... its an unhealthy addiction), this struggling artist, time and time again, tops my list of favorites. He vocalizes beautiful wisdom that cuts right through me, convicts me, and makes me a better person. His lyrics are like a well of hard truths that I constantly need to hear. These are a few lines that he wrote that always inspire me.

what looks like failure is success
and what looks like poverty is riches
when what is true looks more like a knife
it looks like you’re killing me
but you’re saving my life

but i give myself to what looks like love
and i sell myself for what feels like love
and i pay to get what is not love
and all just because i see things upside down

what looks like weakness can do anything
and what looks like foolishness is understanding
when what is powerful has not come to fight
it looks like you’re going to war
but you lay down your life

what looks like torture is a time to rejoice
what sounds like thunder is a comforting voice
when what is beautiful looks broken and crushed
and i say i don’t know you
but you say it’s finished
when what is beautiful looks broken and crushed
and i say i don’t know you
but you say it’s finished

Preach It Jack!

2007-02-03T11:38:00.000-06:00

It's such a tired game. Will it ever stop? How will this all play out? Out of sight, out of mind.

By now we should know how to communicate instead of coming to blows. We're on a roll and there ain't no stopping us now. We're burning under control. Isn't it strange how we're all burning under the same sun?

Buy now and save, it's a war for peace. It's the same old game. But do we really want to play? We could close our eyes its still there. We could say it's us against them. We could try but nobody wins. Gravity has got a hold on us all. We could try to put it out, but it's a growing flame. Using fear as fuel. Burning down our name. And it won't take too long. Cause words all burn the same. And who we gunna blame now?

It's such a crying, crying, crying shame.

By now, it's beginning to show. A number of people are numbers who ain't coming home. I could close my eyes it's still there. Close my mind be alone. I could close my heart and not care. But gravity has got a hold on us all.

It's a terrific price to pay. But in the true sense of the word. Are we using what we've learned? In the true sense of the word. Are we losing what we were? It's such a tired game. Will it ever stop? It's not for me to say. And is it in our blood? Or is it just our fate? And how will this all play out? Out of sight, out of mind. Who are we going to blame all in all?

It's just a crying, crying, crying shame.

- Jack Johnson

Mars

2007-01-24T18:26:00.000-06:00

I just got back from the Mars Hill Isn't She Beautiful? conference. It was a pretty wild ride. I'd write about it here, but it was really overwhelming (in a good way) and more than blogging-words can express. So if you really want to know more about it, just ask me. Be prepared for a novel.

Love Wins,
ReN

-3 Degrees

2007-01-17T12:30:00.000-06:00

I woke up this morning and my weather widget read -3 degrees Fahrenheit. Reminder: 32 degrees is freezing on this scale. I'm pretty sure human beings are not meant to live in climates that get this cold. Some days global warming sounds nice... except for the mass floodings, hurricanes, typhoons, and eventual ice age. Except for that part.

Burrrrrrr....
ReN

10,000 feet

2006-12-30T15:53:00.000-06:00

The Nevada side of the Sierra-Nevada mountain range. And yes, it was fun to ski down.

Winter Sports Don't Suck

2006-12-29T09:08:00.000-06:00

So, I'm in Lake Tahoe, California right now. It's early in the morning and and I'm ready to hit the slopes for the second day. My muscles are a bit sore right now from my first day of tearing up the Sierra @ Tahoe slopes. I took this picture from the top of one of the runs at Sierra @ Tahoe. Today we'll be skiing Heavenly, which is probably my favorite place to ski in the world. The views of the Sierra-Nevada Mountain ranges are unbelievable from the tops of Heavenly's 10,000 ft peaks. And from the top you can ski down a slope that drops about 3,500 ft... that's a lot of skiing on one run.

ReN

Winter Travel Sucks

2006-12-22T15:00:00.000-06:00

So, since my last post I obtained a laptop that has this new amazing 21st century technology called WiFi. Therefore, I can open this computer up and use it on the internets at obscure places like airports - where I am writing this post from. I was actually at the airport yesterday, but my flight was canceled. So, I'm on round two - hoping to get to Dallas, so I can get to Oakland, so I can get to my family. We'll see. Hope everyone who is traveling makes it to their destinations safely and without too much stress. Merry whatever it is you celebrate at this time of the year. And if you don't celebrate anything - Merry football.

Soccer Match For Hope

2006-12-02T13:26:00.000-06:00

My kid-sister Jun is doing a really great thing. She and her boyfriend Jovan have put together a Soccer Camp with the goal of raising money for Cancer Research through the Japanese Foundation For Cancer Research. Cancer has for Jun and Jovan, as for many of us, afflicted loved ones. Please help them, through moral support and/or monetary support, spread hope. Here are some ways:

1. Check out their blog that outlines some of the happenings of the event, which is on December 10th in Japan. http://www.soccerforhope.blogspot.com/

2. Read Jovan's personal story about why he's been inspired to do this event (click here). Post blog comments to share your stories and/or support.

3. Help them donate to the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research by e-mailing them at soccermatchforhope@hotmail.com. Or you can just get your donation to me and I'll make sure Soccer Match For Hope gets it. It can be your Christmas Present to me and my sister.

4. At least, check out this really sweet video they put together to help raise some awareness for the event. Click here for the YouTube Clip.

ReN

I Want A Llama!

2006-12-02T09:47:00.000-06:00

If you are like me, you may have a lot of trouble finding good gifts to give friends and family this holiday system... I mean season. Do I get a Nintendo Wii for my mom? Do I buy my little brother a new minivan? Hmmmm... such turmoil we put ourselves in. And probably the hardest choice of all is: What do I get ReN for Christmas? Well, unless you've already got something in mind for me (some gold shoes please, a ceramic bed, and a winter coat made out of papyrus paper) you can head over to my gift registry to find a little something meaningful for me this Christmas. I'd really like a llama, but if you want to get me a pig or a share of a cow, that would be cool too. I set up a Heifer Gift Registry, because I'd much rather have someone else get a Trio of Rabbits than me (I don't have any place to put them). Anyway, if you have time and finances (and some of the gifts are super cheap), feel free to give a gift to me, which would in turn go to someone who would really appreciate some livestock to help them and their family out. Also, if you don't know what to give your mom, dad, buddy, girlfriend, etc. - consider giving a Heifer gift (find out more about the organization at Heifer.org). I've been doing it for about 3 years now and you'd be surprised at how thankful many people are that you are trying to help eliminate world hunger in their name. Check it out. Happy shopping!

My Gift Heifer Registry

Make Your Own Heifer Registry

Check Out The Heifer Gift Catalog

See My Previous Post About Giving & World On Fire Video

ReN

Nearby Creek

2006-11-25T04:20:00.000-06:00

Bye California... for now.

Old Photos

2006-11-24T22:03:00.000-06:00

One of my projects this week has been to go through several boxes of stuff from my childhood. Old report cards (mostly "S's"), journals from travels as a kid ("Today was neat. We went on the plain. It was fun."), and old photos of me (as my mom often says, "What happened to you? You used to be so cute"). I thought I'd let you all in on some of my exciting day of collating stuff from boxes into piles into new boxes. Here's Retro-ReN in an old Sunday School photo, circa 1986. Same year Walk Like An Egyptian was big.

ReN

Honest Abe

2006-11-24T11:26:00.000-06:00

Abe part 1: During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln (in response to the request of Sarah Hale, an editor of a prominent women's magazine of the day and the author of 'Mary Had a Little Lamb') advocated for a national day of thanksgiving (an interesting thing to want during such a horrible time in US history). Abe looked for a day that would have no other religious activity so that all Americans – together – could thank the Almighty. The day he found was the last Thursday in November (actually officially declared by congress in 1941).

Abe part 2: Supposedly the story goes like this. During some of the darkest days of the Civil War a bunch of clergy folk were having a nice dinner at the White House. One of the churchmen offered a benediction and closed with the affirmation, “The Lord is on our side.” President Lincoln was visibly disturbed by this remark. Hence, someone at his table asked the great leader, “Don’t you believe, Mr. President, that the Lord is always on the side of the right?” “I am not concerned about that,” Lincoln answered, “for we know that the Lord is always on the side of the right. I am concerned about claiming that God is on our side. Rather I pray humbly that we are on God’s side.”

ReN

Coast Camping

2006-11-22T19:00:00.000-06:00

Just got back from a 2 day camping trip to Point Reyes National Seashore . This is my dad, brother, me, and my mom behind the camera hiking the trail to our ocean-side campsite. We saw some very white deer, a number of elk, lots of fierce birds, a few not so fierce, and a couple of raccoons. My brother and I played some football on the beach with his Nerf alligator-shaped ball. At night we played Poker and a little Crazy-Eights and did a some fine star-gazing on the beach. After a calm night in our sleeping-bags listening to crashing waves, we hit the hiking trail in the morning back to the "real world".

ReN

Alligator-Ball

2006-11-22T18:42:00.000-06:00

California

2006-11-21T11:29:00.000-06:00

I'm in the great state of California right now (cue music from the OC). I'm hanging at my old crib. My original stomping grounds. Oaktown. The Bay. And it's hella weird (I heard someone say that on the radio today - they talk funny out here too). I haven't been here for 8 years, so everything looks a lot bigger than I remember, there are way more Wal-Mart's and Quizno's and there a bunch of people in my neighborhood who I know but I'm pretty reluctant to run into, because 'What do we talk about?'. A lot's happened to me in the past 8 years and I'm not sure if it is possible to reduce all that into about 4 minutes of conversation. Anyway, if anyone has any tips - feel free to give them to me. I hope everyone's Thanksgiving Week is going well.

ReN

Taizé

2006-11-13T22:51:00.000-06:00

Interested in going to France with me?
June 8th-20th, 2007.

Every 2 years I help lead a group of "young people" (under 30 years of age) on a 2 week pilgrimage of trust to France. We spend 7 days living in an awe-inspiring community called Taizé - an ecumenical monastic community in central France. Thousands of young people from around the world visit Taizé every week to meet each other and learn about living in community. Check out their website to learn more: www.taize.fr . After Taizé we travel up to Paris and spend several days exploring museums, cathedrals, and many other amazing sights.

If you are interested in this trip at all, if you are young (see above), and if you are cool (a given if you are reading this blog), please leave me a post and I'll get you some more information. We go through a retreat organization called Kirkridge, so it ends up being a very reasonable packaged deal with flights and most other costs included. I'd love for you to come.

ReN

The Hope

2006-11-03T13:38:00.000-06:00

If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Wall

2006-10-25T18:55:00.000-05:00

Ok, I've hit it. The wall. Let's start at the beginning - because it is often a good place to begin (unless this is some postmodern type of post). The reason why I haven't been diligently writing posts on my blog (or writing them in-diligently) is that I've been super busy. My typical week involves: a) Seeing patients at the VA hospital a couple times a week; b) Going to 3 different classes and preparing/reading for those; c) Working my assistantship doing odds and ends for a professor; d) Teaching at my alma mater Augie twice a week (Intro to Psych); e) Prepping for all that teaching (that gets its own letter); f) Attempting to continue a healthy exercise schedule; g) Going to church & Harvest & playing music for that; h) Eating, sleeping, watching House & Office (thank you Chris the chef, Tylenol PM, & DVR). Don't get me wrong: I love doing all this stuff... and for a while I thought I was the tough guy and could do it all in absolute perfection, but eventually that stuff catches up with you. Anyway, I don't want pity, I just want to vent a bit. In a couple of weeks Augie's semester will be over, I'll have some more of my life back (i.e., blogging time, more sleeping time), and I'll be able to work on other important projects (like my dissertation). So, this is to all who have hit the wall before. Feel free to share your stories. It can be like group therapy for all of us.

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25

2006-09-23T12:20:00.000-05:00

So, it was my birthday yesterday. I turned a quarter century - as a lot of people reminded me. That makes me feel really wise. "I like that". Anyway, I got a lot of nice cards and phone calls and my friends C+D took me out to the River Roots Live music festival in the Quad Cities, which was awesome. Big outdoor space with two stages playing non-stop live music. The weather was amazing. We set up our camping chairs out on the lawn enjoying a breeze from the Mississippi river. We got to see Martin Sexton - one of the sweetest live musicians I've ever had the pleasure to see. You should really check out some of his stuff (CLICK HERE TO LISTEN). All in all, even though I had a nasty cold, it was quite a fun birthday. Plus, I hear my car insurance fees go down when I turn 25. Apparently, I take less risks when I'm this age. Who knew?

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p.s. Sorry I've been away from blogging for a long time. I've been really busy with school, clinical work, teaching, research, and pulling my hamstrings playing flag football.

TIL: OK Go

2006-08-24T09:32:00.000-05:00

TIL (Things I Like) is back. If you have been paying attention to the internets lately, you've probably come across a band called OK Go. A little bit ago they released a homemade music video on the internet called A Million Ways. The music is their own and the dances in the video were choreographed by the lead singer's sister. Plus it was filmed in the lead singer's backyard. Since then, the Chicago based band has blown up and become an internet propelled phenomenon. Anyway, they have another sister-choreographed music video out that's pretty sweet. The band dances all over treadmills in this one. It's really worth turning up those speakers (or throwing on those headphones) to watch OK Go's videos... they are pure hilarament.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE NEW VIDEO (HERE IT GOES AGAIN)
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE CLASSIC VIDEO (A MILLION WAYS)
CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL THEIR VIDEOS ON THEIR WEBSITE

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Kosher

2006-08-21T21:07:00.000-05:00

Mmmmm... Chicago has it's share of good food too.

Wrigley

2006-08-21T20:41:00.000-05:00

"Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don't care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the Cubbies,
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game"

More Food

2006-08-16T23:29:00.000-05:00

One last post from the Big Easy. On my final night in town I ate a round of cajun favorites while listening to some live outdoor jazz. Here I'm eating a cup of the best gumbo in town, a cup of crawfish pie, a cup of jambalaya, and red beans and rice. Of course, New Orleans is much more than its food. The local people were all very friendly and glad to see tourists like me visit their city, which only a year ago was under water. The French Quarter and most of uptown New Orleans is up and running. Many musicians have returned to do their musical magic. Restaurants are mostly back into the full swing of things. And the people are eager for visitors to help revitalize their beautiful city. So, whether you want to go down with Habitat for Humanity or just help out their economy by eating several muffaletas, po-boys, alligator, gumbo, and jambalaya - think about taking a trip down to the amazing city of New Orleans. Bring some friends and an empty stomach.

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Nite Life

2006-08-16T22:40:00.000-05:00

Probably, needless to say: New Orleans has an extensive night life. Bourbon Street itself is quite the gnarly avenue (to see via webcam what's going on there right now CLICK HERE). Every type of bar you could think of from juice bars, to strip bars, to jazz clubs, to piano bars, to more than I had time to even see from my walks down the famous street. One of the most recognized of these bars is Pat O'Brien's - named after the man who is credited for inventing the infamous Hurricane drink. But my favorite tavern was Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop. This old tavern was built before 1772 and claims to be one of the oldest drinking establishments in the United States. Jean Lafitte was a pirate and ran his underground criminal business using the blacksmith shop as a front. Since, the shop has become a bar that was a favorite of playwright Tennessee Williams and more recently Lenny Kravitz. Anyway, I like it because it is old looking (i.e., stone walls), it is small and cozy, it is simply lit by candle light and a fireplace, and an 80 year old man comes in every night to play the piano as patrons sit and sing songs. On top of all of this, their Hurricanes are ten times better than Pat O'Brien's. Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop is also located in a more sane part of Bourbon street - away from the madness. Lafitte's is awesome, but maybe not a great place for ninjas.

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Alligator Anyone?

2006-08-16T22:20:00.000-05:00

So, this is me and my friend Jen eating a bit-o Alligator tail. Pretty tasty with some cocktail sauce on it. Later, for our entree, we both had the fresh red snapper ("We don't own a freezer" - according to the restaurant owner) with etouffee sauce. Pretty darn yum.

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Entertained

2006-08-16T17:05:00.000-05:00

I was well entertained in New Orleans. First and foremost - amazing music. While exploring the nightlife we were able to check out some sweet Big Band music, Rock & Roll, and of course Jazz. My favorite bit of entertainment in the week was a concert that we (my dad and I) went to featuring the renowned Preservation Hall Jazz Band - by far the best Jazz performance that I have ever experienced. Also very entertaining was Bill Cosby. Yeah, I got to see Bill Cosby's live comedy for 2 hours. He was hilarious of course. Lastly, Dr. Phil. Even though it shouldn't really count as entertainment, since he was invited to address the APA at the conference - he was more entertaining than informative. I'll have to admit that I really liked what he had to say and for the most part approve of what he's doing for the discipline as a whole. So, New Orleans wins my vote as one of the most entertaining places in the world.
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Po-Boy

2006-08-16T16:47:00.000-05:00

Location: The New Orleans famous Johnny's Po-Boy

Food: Steak Po-Boy; Red Beans and Rice

Description: The best! A po-boy is a Louisiana sub sandwich. It consists of some sort of meat or seafood, usually fried, served on a baguette, with all your regular sandwich toppings.

There's Grandma

2006-08-15T22:16:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Big Easy's Saint Louis Cemetery. As you may be able to tell from the picture or from any mystery film taking place in New Orleans - the graves are built above ground in tombs. This is because the high level of ground water in the city have made burial nearly impossible. As a local said to me, "They figured this out when the water levels rose in the summer and you saw grandma floating down the street". Because of the pumps in the city, you no longer have to worry about grandma. She can be buried as typically is done in this country. Still many people wish to be laid to rest in their family's tomb. It's all actually quite amazing. 50 or more people can be put into some of these 5x10x15 crypts. The law is that a body must be put on "layaway" for one year in one of these smaller tombs (seen on the left in the picture here). After the body fully decays from the Louisiana heat and humidity, the remains are are put into a smaller box and then put into the family's above ground grave. Subsequently, the person's name is usually inscribed onto the side of the tomb. It can rain pretty hard and the water levels can get pretty high and your body is pretty safe. Most of the cemeteries in New Orleans were left unscathed even after Hurricane Katrina.

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Muffaletta

2006-08-15T14:17:00.000-05:00

The muffaletta (the thing I am ingesting in this picture here) is a signature sandwich in New Orleans. The word muffaletta is actually the Italian word for the specific type of Sicilian bread used to make the sandwich. This foccacia like bread is large (10 inches in diameter) and round - making for a huge casing for your huger sandwich. Wedged inside these two giant pieces of bread are several layers of capicola, salami, and mortadella meats (click on links to find out what the heck these things are). Plus a few slices of provolone and emmentaler cheeses. To top it all off the inside of this sandwich - a hefty helping of marinated olive salad is piled on. The olive salad is what makes the muffaletta more than just a meat buffet. Green and black olives, celery, cauliflower, carrots, and olive oil of course. This dynamic feast was created first at Central Grocery in 1906. The Central Grocery story - a small whole in the wall - still sits in the middle of the French Quarter on Decatur street. You can stop by there, as I did, to get the original and the best muffaletta in New Orleans. Bring a friend or two - because it's too big for just one person to eat. Or try and make your own if you can't make it to New Orleans.

CLICK HERE FOR A RECIPE

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Creole History

2006-08-14T11:39:00.000-05:00

I was amazed at how much rich history the city of New Orleans has. My dad (who came on this trip with me) and I went on a guided bus tour around the city on the morning of our second day in New Orleans. In the afternoon we enjoyed a 2 hour steamboat ride, up and down the Mississippi river, on the Riverboat Natchez - an authentic steam powered paddle boat. As I found out on our tours, the multicultural city of New Orleans was founded by the French in 1718 (of course it was part of a major route for Native American trading for many years before this). After changing hands to the Spanish and then back to the French again, the Americans bought the land from Napoleon as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. The land was sold for about 3 cents per acre at the time. New Orleans, being a port city in the south, was often used to bring slaves into the US. Thus, the city has a Creole culture - or a mixed culture. The Native Americans, the French, the Spanish, the White Americans, Black Slaves, and anybody else that stopped in helped to make up the unique and diverse culture that New Orleans is today. This diversity has undoubtedly influenced the food, music, and overall personality of the city - making it like no other place in the world.

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Du Monde

2006-08-14T11:12:00.000-05:00

The very first thing I did upon arriving to New Orleans was walked myself down to the Café Du Monde. This classic French Quarter corner coffee shop (est. 1862) is famous for offering chicory coffee and beignets 24/7 (something my friends and I capitalized on later in the week). Chicory coffee is a blended coffee made from chicory root, which was used with sugar beet and rye to replace traditional coffee during the East German coffee crisis of the late 1970's. That beautiful sugar covered thing in my mouth is a beignet (pronounced ben-yay). It is basically a deep-fried piece of dough (like a thick donut) that is doused with confectioner's sugar. They seriously dump a truck load of sugar onto each beignet you get. So much so that the ground at Café Du Monde is covered with white powder and most visitors leave the coffee shop with very messy pants. Needless to say, a coffee and a beignet was a wonderful way to kick off my New Orleans adventure.

Yummy in my tummy,
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The Big Easy

2006-08-14T10:56:00.000-05:00

For the past week I have been in New Orleans for the American Psychological Association's Annual Conference. Thousands of psychologists and psychologists in training flock to a chosen city each year for this conference to share their research findings, debate important current issues, and to have a little fun together. Let me tell you - New Orleans is a place to have more than a little fun. I was only there for 5 days and I visited, ate, drank, met, heard, and experienced some of the most amazing things that there is to visit, eat, drink, meet, and hear. As follows will be some post-hoc musings about my trip. Feel free to comment and contribute to the conversation.

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Kenji Returns

2006-08-06T17:30:00.000-05:00

This is my most awesome 11 year-old brother, Kenji. Here's a brief example for why he's so most awesome. Carefully notice how he's basically levitating above the water here in Lake Geneva. While some normal people exercise in the morning by going on a 2 mile jog (or some of us who just sleep as a morning exercise), Kenji prefers levitating above lake water for 10 minutes followed by 5 minutes of moving large yachts across the lake with his mind. Notice: no large yachts in the background of the photo - they had all been previously moved by the great mind of Kenji. After this brief workout he's usually ready for breakfast.

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LG @ Nite

2006-08-02T10:04:00.000-05:00

Mission Objective: Infiltrate Norman B. Bar's Rave Trampoline via water entry with the cover of night. Rendezvous at Stinzo pier.

ETA: 21:00 hours. Mission must be accomplished in less than 17 minutes.

Mission Codenames: Larry and Happy Camper

Equipment: State-of-the-art Navy Seal wet suits. Very rubbery swim caps. Fins for the Happy Camper because he's slow. Courage.

The LG

2006-08-01T22:42:00.000-05:00

I'm kinda on vacation right now. And my summer vacations usually consist of me visiting my grandparents' summer home in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. This lake is probably the most constant thing in my life. After living in various places in California, Japan, in Illinois, and Iowa - I have always managed to make it back to the LG every summer since I was about 3 years old. The lake is pretty much pure fun. This is one of the many funky activities we do at the lake. My friends Cerafim and Pastprime are here jumping off the pier as I throw them a wet rag to catch.

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Hot Off The Press

2006-07-31T23:04:00.001-05:00

The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports:

One local who showed up to see Armstrong was Ren (ME) of North Liberty. He and some friends rode to Coralville to check out RAGBRAI and see Armstrong.

"It was really exciting and inspiring to hear his words and what he's doing for cancer," [Ren] said. "I've heard about him and read a lot about him, and he's everything I thought he would be and more."

For the full article and more about Lance's visit CLICK HERE

That's Lance...

2006-07-30T19:28:00.000-05:00

... and Jim Fausett - the mayor of Coralville, IA. Some of you know Jim, who's presenting a city key to Lance Armstrong here in the picture. P.S. You get a special prize if you can name the usual suspects in the back of the picture. So, here's the story. Chris and I rode our bikes down to Coralville to check out the Ragbrai festivities and to see Mr. Armstrong speak to the masses. For those of you who don't know, Ragbrai is a big bike race (slash drinking party) across Iowa that happens once a year. Lance decided to come along for part of the ride to help promote cycling in the U.S. and to advocate for more federal funding for cancer research through his Livestrong foundation. Chris, me, and our friend Kim were the first people at the stage where Lance was speaking. Two hours and thousands of people later, the 7-time Tour de France winner and cancer survivor hit the stage. We were at the very front, right at his high top Nike shoes - pretty darn sweet if you ask me. The most surprising thing to me was that Lance was much shorter than I imagined. He's my height - 5'10"... and so, if I follow the rules of logic, that pretty much means that I can win the tour 7 times as well. Anyway, Lance said that he was blown away by the hospitality he received in Iowa ("the best ever" according to him) and gave his word that he's going to come back to ride Ragbrai next year. He's also invested in encouraging people to vote for representatives who are committed to providing more federal funding for cancer research - since, despite earlier promises, the current administration has cut cancer funding by 40 million dollars. So, get informed, get active, and ride your bike a bit.

Livestrong,
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TIL: Chuck Facts

2006-07-20T13:51:00.000-05:00

In high school I used to read Jack Handy quotes (AKA: Deep Thoughts) with my friends. We would fall on the floor in hilarament (new word) while reading. I almost threw up a couple of times because of how funny those quotes were. Since my high school years, there has been an unending void in my life because of the lack of new Deep Thoughts coming from SNL. But recently that void has been filled... with Chuck Norris. If you've seen the Chuck Norris facts I am talking about, you know what I'm saying is pure and true. If you haven't seen the facts, you are in store for some hilarament. Here are a few:

There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of animals that Chuck Norris allows to live.

Chuck Norris doesn't read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.

If you ask Chuck Norris what time it is, he always says, "Two seconds 'til." After you ask, "Two seconds 'til what?" he roundhouse kicks you in the face.

Chuck Norris doesn't shave; he kicks himself in the face. The only thing that can cut Chuck Norris is Chuck Norris.

Chuck Norris grinds coffee with his teeth and boils the water with his own rage.

When Chuck Norris does a pushup, he isn't lifting himself up, he's pushing the Earth down.

Chuck Norris doesn't wear a watch, HE decides what time it is.

Want to see more Chuck facts? Follow this link below. At this site you can read thousands of facts and make your own t-shirts with facts or pictures of Chuck Norris on them. Post your favorite Chuck fact!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE CHUCK!

Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.,
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TIL: The Office

2006-07-09T20:11:00.000-05:00

Who loves The Office? The show definitely makes my TIL (Things I Like) list. It's hilarious, sarcastic, satirical, good social commentary, sweet, touching at times, and just the best. Here's a few clips from a mocked up The More You Know NBC public service announcement - The Office style.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH CLIP
CLICK HERE TO WATCH ANOTHER CLIP
CLICK HERE TO WATCH ANOTHER
CLICK HERE TO WATCH YET ANOTHER CLIP
CLICK HERE TO WATCH ONE LAST CLIP OF GOODNESS

Don't get too bored at work this week,
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TIL: Tribute

2006-07-05T18:54:00.001-05:00

So, sticking with the band theme... here's another installment of TIL (Things I Like). Our friends from Tenacious D, Nacho Libre and that other guy who's also funny, bring us one of my favorite music videos of all time - "Tribute".

Needless to say, the beast was stunned. Whip-crack went his whoopy tail, And the beast was done. He asked us: "(snort) Be you angels?" And we said, "Nay. We are but men." Rock! Ahhh, ahhh, ahhh-ah-ah, Ohhh, whoah, ah-whoah-oh!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE GREATEST SONG IN THE WORLD

You gotta believe it,
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ATB

2006-07-03T21:40:00.000-05:00

Well, I had quite the weekend. I drove a billion miles, listened to a sweet sounding Bell, saw some old friends, ate Taco Bell (ewww), lost my car stereo and passenger side window, and saw one of my favorite bands live. My college friends Andrew and Jake have created a band that has become a wide(blue) favorite of many of my fellow Augustana Alumn. A good 70 to 80 people poured-down into a little, smelly, dirty, towny bar in Cary Illinois to hear the sounds of the Andrew Thomas Band. All in all, I have to say it was a well rounded weekend.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO AN ATB TUNE

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Hoff

2006-06-26T22:22:00.000-05:00

While Superman II was my favorite movie growing up, my favorite TV show was most definitely Knight Rider. And the star of that show is this man right here - David Hasselhoff. You may have noticed that since Baywatch he's been kinda taking it easy... just making his occasional solo albums that only sell in Germany. Despite his fame in Germany, I am predicting that the rest of 2006 is going to mark his comeback in his native USA. I am stating it here: This is going to be the year of David Hasselhoff! Get this. A month ago he was featured in the American Idol finale crying and subsequently Simon asked him to help judge his new show America's Got Talent (which recently started). He's also starring in the new movie Click with Adam Sandler. But best of all is how he influenced the outcome of the NBA Finals:

[Hoff] brought unanticipated drama and excitement to the NBA playoffs in his role as unofficial mascot-of-sorts for the Dallas Mavericks... Dirk Nowitzki [of the Mavs] backtracked from his initial statement that when he needs to perform at his utmost at the free-throw line, he hums Hassel-songs to himself. Miami fans tried to harness this Hassel-power by making masks of the Hasselhoff visage and attempting to use them in a voodoo-like manner, even yelling "DA-VID HAS-SEL-HOFF" every time Dirk took to the line. Curiously, the Mavs lost all three games in which this ritual was performed [and Miami went on to win the championship]. Star-Telegram.com

In addition to determining the outcome of major sporting events, Hoff is also coming out with an autobiography in September. It's going to be a big year for him... big! And if you want to celebrate this monumental second coming, make a Hasselhoff paper airplane with me by CLICKING HERE.
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TIL: Sarah

2006-06-22T01:12:00.000-05:00

This time on TIL (Things I Like) we have an amazing music video from Sarah Mclachlan called World on Fire. If you have not seen this video, please click on the link below to view it. It really is a wonderful song with a wonderful message built into the video. If you have seen it before, then you will probably click on the link below because you know what a powerful piece of art it is. And the lyrics are just pure poetry:

Hearts are worn in these dark ages. You're not alone in this story's pages. Night has fallen amongst the living and the dying. And I try to hold it in, yeah I try to hold it in. The world's on fire and it's more than I can handle. I'll tap into the water (I try to pull my ship). I try to bring more. More than I can handle (Bring it to the table). Bring what I am able. I watch the heavens and I find a calling. Something I can do to change this moment. Stay close to me while the sky is falling. Don't wanna be left alone, don't wanna be alone. Hearts break, hearts mend. Love still hurts. Visions clash, planes crash. Still there's talk of saving souls, still the cold. Is closing in on us. We part the veil on our killer sun. Stray from the straight line on this short run. The more we take, the less we become. A fortune of one that means less for some.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO

Here are some relief organizations that I like to work with. Feel free to check them out and check out Sarah's list too.
Heifer International
Compassion International
Habitat for Humanity

You're not alone in this story's pages,
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Tri

2006-06-19T22:57:00.000-05:00

So, I spent last weekend watching three of my friends compete in a relay triathlon. That is swimming, cycling, and running. The race was all done in and next to a beautiful little lake in the Quad Cities. To the right here is Gabriel finishing up the last leg of the tri for the first place win. Yeah, that's right... they came in 1st place in the co-ed relay at the Quad Cities Triathlon! If you know these superheroes, you can congratulate them with a high-five or a gift card to Target or something. Chris G. (aka: multisportjunkie) sped around on his sweet spaceageified bike. Gabe's g.f., Jack (Jaclyn) a very fast fish, swam in the lake. And Gabe did the run... he's also a fast fish... with legs... that run on ground... fastly.
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TIL: Superman Returns

2006-06-18T08:43:00.000-05:00

For the second installment of Things I Like (TIL), I'm posting about Superman Returns - a movie coming out at the end of this month of June (also coming out in IMAX 3D, which I'm stoked about). Ever since I was a little kid I have been borderline obsessed with Superman. When I was 5 I would dress up as Superman and do interviews with my dad in front of our home video camera. I would occasionally use my superpowers to save my sister from imaginary monsters and villains at the dinner table. Yeah, I was pretty super: I could jump from couch to couch in single bounds. Nerf balls would simply bouncy off of my chest of steel. Red hot laser beams shot from my eyes (lazer sound effects provided by my mouth). And I stood for truth, justice, and the Renjamin way. So, the present movie comes in where Christopher Reeve's Superman II (The last good Superman movie) left off. Superman's been gone soul-searching for a while (5 years in space) and returns to find that his world has drastically changed. The actor playing Superman is Brandon Routh, who went to the University of Iowa (where I go to grad school) and is a native of the Des Moines area... so that's kinda cool.

Teaser Trailer
International Trailer

Click on the above links to watch my favorite trailers for the film. If you pay attention, you may notice some interesting symbolism embedded into the story line. Let me know if you catch it. Also, for those who care, the voice of Superman's Kryptonian father in the preview is the resurrected Marlon Brando who played his father in the original movies. I gotta go put some tights on now. Catch you later.
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TIL: Secret Phone Ring

2006-06-15T10:40:00.000-05:00

Up to this point I have mostly been posting personal stuff, but I have decided to start a new series of posts called Things I Like (TIL). Essentially I'll post some stories or videos or other junk that I find amusing or intriguing. I hope you like it too. Here's the first one from a recent news release about a secret cell phone ring that only kids can hear:

If you see a teen suddenly start talking on the cell phone and you didn't even hear it ring, it could be because of a new secret weapon kids have discovered. It's a 17 kilohertz ring tone that most older people can't hear. About age 30, people start losing the ability to hear high-pitch frequencies. But younger people can hear them. As one teen said, "I like it. I think it's a good way to get away with whatever you wanna get away with." Ironically, the high-pitched tone was originally used over loudspeakers in England to disperse teens when authorities wanted to break up a crowd. Then someone decided to put it in a ring tone and now it's spread to the U.S.
From: http://www.news10.net/

Take a listen for yourself:
Set your speakers at a normal listening level then CLICK HERE.
So, can you hear the secret ringtone?
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Back to School

2006-06-12T14:20:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm done traveling for now. I will be taking a few trips around the midwest this summer and I'll keep the blog updated with pictures and stories. Then in August I'll be visiting New Orleans. I'm looking forward to that! But, at this moment I am in school mode. I have a class and some clinical work and some research and some assistantship work and some fall teaching preparation and some cashew eating and some other stuff to do this summer. Right now, I am taking a break from writing an IRB, to enjoy a little blogging. Times up. Gotta go. Have a good summer wherever you are.
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A Trip

2006-06-03T00:10:00.000-05:00

This is Jovan and I hanging at one of the highest points in all of Northern Belize - the top of a great Mayan temple. Sitting up there, looking across the river and forest and sky, I could see how climbing up here would make you feel closer to the gods - though I did not sacrifice Jovan.
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Mayan

2006-06-03T00:03:00.000-05:00

Lamanai is one of oldest standing Mayan cities in Central America. We took an hour long river boat ride to get to this site - through the winding swamps, rivers, and jungle waters of Belize. Once getting there we found ourselves surrounded by ancient temples and mysteries of a lost civilization. It was super cool.
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Ribbit

2006-06-03T00:01:00.000-05:00

And that is a toad. I was walking around late at night in Crooked Tree and found myself in the middle of a road surrounded by toads (good thing they weren't killer toads). So I spent the next hour taking long exposure pictures of my amphibious friends.
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Sam

2006-06-02T23:58:00.000-05:00

That's a Keel-Billed Toucan; the national bird of Belize. "Pretty Bird".

Jungle

2006-06-02T23:52:00.000-05:00

The majority of Belize's mainland is made up of rainforest - much of it protected areas. While on the Belizean mainland, Jovan and I rested at unique lodging embedded in a preserved bird sanctuary. The sanctuary was part of a small town called Crooked Tree where the horses frolic wild and the cashews flow like wine... literally.
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Beauty

2006-06-02T23:44:00.000-05:00

All good things must come to an end. We were very sad to leave our home in Caye Caulker, but eventually we had to move on to the second leg of our Belizean trip. I said good-bye to my new friends, to the coral reef, the Nurse Sharks and sting rays, and moved from Belize's beautiful waters to the mystery of the Belizean rainforest.
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Spooked

2006-06-02T23:35:00.000-05:00

While riding our Ferrari-made purple Storm cruiser bikes around the island, Jovan and I spotted a really interesting cemetery in the middle of a hotel. I found it a little spooky that this huge lizard was sitting on this gravestone - on the left hand page of a stone bible at that. Maybe the big iguana dude can read and was getting a little scriptural reading in before he went back to chasing bugs and eating leaves. That's my prediction. Any lizard lovers out there, what do you think our friend is doing?
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Blue Crush

2006-06-02T23:33:00.000-05:00

I love blue-green water. It's amazing to me that the water in Belize is so clear and colorful. What happened to the water in the US? The Mississippi looks like coffee and the Pacific looks navy blue and my bathtub is usually just clear with some suds in it. So, how do the Belizians and other Caribbean nations get their water so blue-green and clear? Feel free to speculate in your comments below. Meanwhile, sailing is a fun thing to do in blue-green water.
ReN

Conch

2006-06-02T23:24:00.000-05:00

That is a conch head. In other news we at a lot of conch while on the island, but not the heads. The two long things on the sides lead to the eyes on the end and the thing in the middle is the mouth. The captain of our sailboat randomly jumped out of the boat and came back up with 5 conch shells. He then proceeded to bang the shells with a wrench, eventually pulling out the conch with a knife. All the while the captain was steering the sail boat with his knee, while cleaning the conch with his knife, and throwing the head to me after freaking out some German girls with it. Later on in the boat ride we ate the conch in a pretty tasty salsa.
ReN

Baked

2006-06-02T23:14:00.000-05:00

There was one thing on my mind every morning when I woke up on Caye Caulker. I would wake promptly at 8am, hop out of bed, grab a few dollars, jump on my purple bike, and ride down the dirt road past the soccer field and little bank to the only place for appetizing and tasty baked goods. Yes, this was the Caye Caulker Bakery - the first thing on my mind every morning. My usual was the ham and cheese croissant, but I also tried some greats like the cinnamon roll, the morning sausage roll, and a few other yummy pastries. Top it all off with a banana from the local fruit market (aka: someone's garage) and that was a fine breakfast. Jovan also enjoyed the appetizing and tasty baked goods as can be seen through his body language in this photo.
ReN

Dayne and the Lindwadi Cat

2006-06-02T23:00:00.000-05:00

I mentioned that we made some friends while on Caye Caulker. One of those friends was a great guy named Dayne. He's from San Pedro - a city on a nearby island - but he was working on Caye Caulker for a few weeks. We met him through some other friends that we made on the island (that would be the lovely women in this picture). The day after we met this guy, Dayne invites us all over for some home cooking. We spent the night eating chicken, beans and rice, bread fruit, and some mashed potatoes, while dancing to reggae music. Great meal + great company + great music = Great Time.
ReN

Aqua

2006-06-02T22:54:00.000-05:00

One of the greatest things about Caye Caulker (remember Caye is pronounced "key") is that it sits on the world's second largest great barrier reef, which makes scuba diving and snorkeling unbelievable. We swam with the fishes (literally, not figuratively), sharks, stingrays, eels, and a lot of other cool underwater organisms. This is a picture of some Nurse Sharks by our boat before I jumped in to play with them. Nurse Sharks are pretty harmless, so I still have all my limbs. As you can see, when I snapped the digital picture a bird flew by to join in on the photo-fun... I thought that was kinda cool.
ReN

Caye Caulker

2006-06-02T22:41:00.000-05:00

Let's begin at the beginning. My friend Jovan and I (seen here) flew into Belize City from Chicago. From Belize's premiere city we took an hour water-taxi ride to a small island known as Caye (pronounced "key") Caulker. Caye Caulker attracts mainly the younger and less wealthy traveling crowd - so mostly backpackers, adventurous honeymooners, and grad students like Jovan and I. The island is a regular community of transients where everyone is friendly and eager to get to know new people. In the short four days we were on Caye Caulker, we made a good handful of friends. I like friends.
ReN

Belize

2006-06-01T10:21:00.000-05:00

Howdy,
I just got back from Belize last night. It was awesome (to use a rarely utilized adjective). 7 days, 2 snorkeling trips, several Mayan temples and ruins, some beautiful sailing, a riverboating ride, a trip to the jungle embedded zoo, yes birdwatching, a bit of kayaking, a little partying, and a few new friends later - my conclusion is that Belize is really neato! Tucked away below Mexico, to the east of Guatemala, and a little above Honduras, Belize is a unique Central American country because it's official language is English. It is not unique in that it is absolutely enchanting (I hear the rest of Central America is amazing too); filled with beautiful beaches, interesting islands, breathtaking coral reefs, adventurous rainforests, and ancient ruins. Here's a little map to give you some setting for the upcoming posts on my trip to Belize. Feel free to comment as you like.
ReN

Grauman

2006-05-21T22:46:00.000-05:00

Who's Grauman? That was my question when I was in Hollywood. If you watch E (Entertainment Television; which I don't particularly recommend watching), then you've seen one of Grauman's greatest accomplishments. Sid Grauman built the famous Chinese Theatre in Hollywood where lots of movie premieres are held. This is my cool sister Jun and I hanging in front of it. We were there for the premiere of my new movie, The Flying Ren. It will be in theatres everywhere this Friday.
ReN

Papa Returns

2006-05-21T22:36:00.000-05:00

So, guess what I found in Hollywood. Beard Papa's Cream Puffs! If you want to know what I'm talking about, read a post from a while ago called Cream Puff. In short, when I was in Japan I saw an interesting cream puff cafe and looked up their website. The puff place was interestingly called Beard Papa. I didn't try any puffs then, but I had a bite from one here in Hollywood. Pretty darn good if you ask me. Try one when you get a chance.
ReN

Raise It

2006-05-20T21:22:00.000-05:00

That's a dog on the roof of a shady cafe in Venice Beach. And that pretty much describes Venice Beach. Really weird and really interesting and really great. When I stepped onto that sandy California sidewalk, I felt that I had entered another world. People with tattoos and piercing all over their body were working out on weight machines in open daylight on the beach. A really macho guy in leapord skin speedo and with baby oil all over his body was roller blading around with headphones on. Street basketball courts were set up on the beach. Random folks were trying to sell me stuff left and right (the guy in the clown suit kinda freaked me out). One man was selling Peace Rocks and from the looks of his attitude he wasn't having a very good business day. I wanted to tell him that his low sales might have been because he was selling rocks that had been merely dipped in paint. Anyway, I had a hot dog at a cute little outdoor restaurant and I people watched on Venice Beach all afternoon.
ReN

Stoked

2006-05-20T21:16:00.000-05:00

That's my little sister Jun, being not so little anymore because she's moving on to a new chapter in her life. From the looks of the picture I think she is pretty darn stoked that she just graduated from college - Scripps College in Claremont, California. Scripps seems like a pretty sweet place to go to school. Lot's of palm tress, patches of grass, nice buildings. I think I would have liked it, except they don't admit my kind. Boys I mean. It's an all women's institution. And I'm a man!
ReN

The House

2006-05-20T20:59:00.000-05:00

While in Claremont (where my sister's college is), I stayed at this really sweet Christian retreat center called Myra's House. The folks that run the place are really into holistic and sustainable living. It was cool to see people who are very intentional and spiritual in there intent to live simple, healthy, and environmentally friendly lives. Plus, Myra and her husband want to spread that message of sustainable-spiritual living on to other people. Myra's husband is a pastor and an architect, so he specially designed their house (i.e., retreat center) with a nice little chapel, an outdoor labyrinth, energy saving windows and walls, reusable water system for their gardening, a potters house, and a lot of other really interesting things. I dug it.
ReN

Moms

2006-05-20T20:55:00.000-05:00

Graduation day was also Mother's day, so we got a chance to celebrate both the graduation of my sister and the motherliness of my mother. That's my mom on the left. She's pretty much awesome.
ReN

Smog

2006-05-20T19:30:00.000-05:00

To begin with: LA has a bit of a pollution problem. Lot's of smog and cars and that sort of stuff. I'm trying to get a few of my people on it. In a few months they should have a well refined public transportation system (maybe like Japan). No worries... I'm working on it.
ReN

LA

2006-05-18T01:03:00.000-05:00

My travel-blog is back on since I'm traveling again: I'm currently in LA. I came here for my sister's graduation. LA is smoggy, but more fun than I thought it would be. I saw Hollywood, some cool museums, traffic, Venice Beach, and Ben Harper's mom's music store. Nice,

ReN

Sayonara

2006-01-10T21:18:00.000-06:00

Sadly it's time for me to say goodbye to Japan. In an hour I'm boarding a bus bound for Kansai International Airport. There I will get on a plane going to San Francisco. After customs in SF I get on another flight going to Chicago, where I connect to go to Cedar Rapids. Then I get picked up by my trusty pal Chris. All in all, it takes a good day.
In closing, I don't have any witty statements or funny anecdotes or even a cool picture. Farewells are difficult like that. I hugged my sidekick goodbye this morning as he went off to crime-fighting school. And soon I will say sayonara to my family and to the Japanese people and their great culture.
I hope you've had fun on this travel adventure through Japan with me. Thank you all you readers and all you commenters. You gave my blog meaning. See some of you very soon.
Peace,
ReN