the1theycallcfos's Xanga

Friday, August 22, 2008

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 10:30:17 GMT

Hey everyone,

I decided to start vlogging my vacation, and here's the first installment. I'm not sure if I'll be able to post one everyday but we'll see.

Vacation Vlog: Day 8

Cheers.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 15:49:36 GMT

Thank you to both of my readers for commenting. One of whom I've never met.

Nice to meet you, William. Good luck with your movie club. However, if you're going to shamelessly plug a file sharing program, there's no need to shout. The caps lock button is mere millimeters away from the A button.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 02:45:49 GMT

"Many things--such as loving, going to sleep, or behaving unaffectedly--are done worst when we try hardest to do them" --C.S. Lewis

Right now for me, the second one is true. Nothing wrong.... I just have to be at work at 2:30 in the morning for undocking. So I've been trying to go to sleep since about 6:00pm (Fun Fact #1: the sun was still up at 6) (Fun Fact #2: It's 9:00 now)

All things considered, it might be better to just stay up for the duration. So both of you xanga readers will help me stay awake. And to stay awake, how about some unsorted thoughts:

-Taking a walk is a good thing. Taking a walk with someone else is a better thing. It's just not the same when you meet at a destination. For example, a coffeeshop. You both are there at the pleasure of yourself. Should one of you decide to leave, the company is broken. But there's something special about taking a walk. Two people engaged in conversation while moving in the same direction, no matter how long the period of time. There's something poetic about it.

-This week, my work is sending me to Florida to do a computer test in the space shuttle sitting on the launchpad. Sometimes, I'm a little bashful about how much I like my job, because I realize it's so rare. But to think that this Thursday, I'll be riding the elevator up the launchpad, walking across the gantry, and climbing into the space shuttle.... Man.... how the heck did I get here?

-I'm resigned to the fact that the next roommate I'll have will be my wife. All the male friends I have in Houston are either married, engaged, or about to become so. And that's not overreaction talking. Before completing this paragraph, I listed all the male friends I have in Houston. It's absolutely true.

-I am the type of guy who is attracted to a girl with whom I can have a good conversation. This type of girl is hard to meet, if you don't already know her. It's not like you just walk up to someone and BOOM, good conversation. As such, I am becoming less resistant to the idea of being set up by a friend. (I was absolutely opposed to it previously).

-White boards at work allow for a great avenue to release all your work-related bitterness and cynicism, while simultaneously entertaining your coworkers.

-Speaking of coworkers, my colleague Tom is trying to talk me into entering a sailing race in October. He wants to get a crew of people he can stand to be on his boat with overnight, and enter the Harvest Moon Regatta from Galveston to Corpus Christi, TX. I'm really considering it. Then I'd be, as Tom says, "a yacht-y bastard." Has a certain ring to it.

-I allow myself one middle finger per calendar year. I am proud to say that February is drawing to a close, and I have not yet used it up. Last year, I didn't make it out of January. That's what happens when your friend is being a jerk about how much better he is than you at Guitar Hero. It's ok.... he admits he had it coming.

-The Lord has been showing me the power of prayer lately. Not necessarily in that he's been answering specific prayers, but more so that when I start my day off with it, I'm more aware of his presence through the remainder of the day. Even if the day itself is ordinary or even bad, sometimes that makes a world of difference to feel his presence.

-Did you know that the government of Iran is considering legislation to make apostasy (conversion from Islam to another religion) punishable by death? The thought has occurred to me that rarely in history has a religious government been a good thing. Even in Christendom, awful things have been done when the political leaders also wield religious power. Religious power coupled with an incorrect or incomplete image of the nature of God is a dangerous thing.

I'm starting to get sleepy. Thanks for sticking around. Like Molly, I may "come home" to xanga after my sabbatical of sorts.

Much love, CFos

Friday, February 01, 2008

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:22:29 GMT

For those of you that didn't know, I competed in a swing dance competition in Austin last weekend. I didn't make it out of the prelims, but from the judges I talked to, about square in the middle of the pack of 15 competitors.

If you want to see a video of it, follow the link

Lone Star Championships -- Jack and Jill

The event type was a Jack and Jill, which means that I was randomly assigned a partner, and we danced to a song that was also randomly selected. Very improvisational and dependent on lead & follow technique.

We'll try to do better next year.

CF

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 00:48:01 GMT

I posted a new video. Watch it. Assuming anyone reads this.

Tea Literature

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 03:10:03 GMT

I finally got the new computer, and have had some time to edit again.

Here is a video of the weekend I spent in Ashland, Ohio for the Salyers wedding. It's a little different in style from what I've done in the past. Hopefully it came out ok.

Life Lessons

Good day!

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:07:09 GMT

So I'm in the process of packing up the apartment to move. Packing is such a transitional activity. If I weren't already in a reflective mood, it would have put me in one.

It has been 3 years in Houston, and the process of packing has me looking back and evaluating.

Over the past three years, my job has improved, and my career has grown. But virtually everything else is the same as it was 3 years ago (except that I have a couch).

I have not found a church. I have no consistent community around me. I have not met and have not even dated any women since I've moved here. A lot of Christians talk about the feeling that "we think we can do it on our own without God."

I don't THINK that I can do it on my own without God. I FEEL like I have to.

Sometimes it all seems like a cruel game. God dangles what you'd like right in front of you only to snatch it away. And if that weren't enough, he also snatches away what you need. We are not meant to live isolated. Asking to find a church and some sort of consistent friendships is not an unreasonable request. It is a need.

I've met people who are great. But they don't have time for me. When I hang out with my best friend down here, Tony, he's always worried about his wife getting angry because he's away too long. And it's not like we hang out every week even. With my other friends, often it's like pulling teeth trying to get them to return a phone call, let alone finding time to hang out. My attempts are met with silence and indifference.

In the absence of friendship, I have had to substitute hobbies. In the absence of community, I have had to substitute routine. In the absence of family, I have nothing to substitute.

This is really getting old. I would think about moving away from here if it didn't feel like such a cop-out.

Friday, July 27, 2007

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 02:22:45 GMT

The video we all have been waiting for: Cooking with Randy, Episode 1.

To find out how to make Snack of the Year, shimmy on over to YouTube using the link below.

Cooking with Randy: How to Make Snack of the Year

Bon Apetit!

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 22:28:30 GMT

Wow. In retrospect, I should never again make an insomnia-induced post. I can't make much sense of what I said.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 06:17:04 GMT

It's late and I can't sleep. So I turn to xanga.

The reason I can't sleep, is that I think that my couch has revolutionary tendencies. And a twisted view of teeth. I woke up from sleeping on my couch, presumably from a dream, with two concepts in my head. 1) That the reason I was not currently asleep was that "the system" was dictating my sleep patterns, and 2) that improved dental care is the root of all the social progress made in the U.S. in the last 40 years.

I transferred over to my bed, and my bed was like, "Man, just cheeeee-ill. That couch has got you trippin"

I like where my bed's head is at.

In more audio-visual news, here are two more videos for your consumption, if not enjoyment. I made both of them, in case that prompts you to watch. I like the finished products. But don't take MY word for it **insert Reading Rainbow musical riff here** bah-dah BAH!!!!

Dominion Church Softball

Curling Tournament in Houston

Good night, Canada.