Growing up I thought my last name was “Neal” because I was pretty sure my first name was “We’re-very-disappointed-in-you.” If someone were interviewing me for the position of Potential Waster I could offer pages and pages of reference letters from teachers, guidance counselors, coaches, youth pastors, camp counselors, and parents all testifying ( Read more... )

I try not to think
About the pain I feel inside
Did you know you used to be my hero?
All the days you spent with me
Now seem so far away
And it feels like you don't care anymoreOne of the main problems I have is separating my thoughts and feelings about God from those I have about church people. In the past few years I’ve heard many preachers ( Read more... )

Lately I've been wondering if I can honestly follow Jesus Christ in the middle-class-American-dreamworld. Two things have made me think I can't. First a scene from the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line where he's talking to the recording company executives about recording his prison concert. They tell him "Your fans are Christian, church giong ( Read more... )

Sometimes the night was beautiful
Sometimes the sky was so far away
Sometimes it seemed to stoop so close
You could touch it but your heart would break
Sometimes the morning came too soon
Sometimes the day could be so hot
There was so much work left to do
But so much You'd already doneI’ve done a lot of things in my life. Some good. Others ( Read more... )

I've finally gotten around to writing the manifesto for my globalization story

Fight for your freedom from the Whore of BabylonYou who read this, people in the unaligned world, can resist the destruction of your people, your families. The American multi-national corporations are engaged in a campaign of genocide, bent on the liquidation of your ( Read more... )

Warning: The following contains paradoxicly immuture adult material, young and old alike will probably not be amused.

...The easy listening radio station around here has shifted their playlist to include more 70s songs. It horrible because it takes me back to the days when I was a worthless, pathetic mole.

...My wife thinks I’m gay...I found The ( Read more... )

In my quest to get my character’s voices right I’m interviewing Nigel Rollins today. He’s sort of a left wing European intellectual. Very sophisticated but with a roguish edge. I imagine if this gets made into a movie in ten years he’d be played by Hugh Grant. He represents a social-democrat type view on globalization.NLS: Did you go to the ( Read more... )

The Mississippi delta was shining
Like a national guitar
I am following the river
Down the highway
Through the cradle of the Civil War
I’m going to GracelandGraceland is, of course, Elvis Presley’s mansion in Memphis, TN. But, it’s also been used to describe heaven and also, living in a state of divine grace on Earth. It’s interesting to think of ( Read more... )

In order to get the voices right for my globalization story (See "Globalization project outline part 1" Post 3/4/06) I will be doing interviews with the characters from my story. The first will be Roberto. I want him to be like the guys I see interviewed on CNBC all the time, brash, confident with an affected, laid-back style but ultimately having ( Read more... )

It’s spring break in MoTown so I have no class this week (WHY SHOULD THIS WEEK BE ANY DIFFERENT) but I do get to work an extra 15 hours so my paycheck will be bigger next month. I’ve never gotten to do the spring break thing like going to Cancun or Florida because when I went to Wesleyan I was in the concert chorale and we would go on tour over the ( Read more... )