BJ Not BK

Do any of you own an audio Bible?  Do you listen to it?  Have you thought about purchasing an audio Bible but not really seen anything that has caught your attention?

I have an audio Bible of Johnny Cash reading the New Testament [link].

If you had your choice who would you cast as the voice of God?

James Earl Jones?

The Movie Guy?

 I remember my first cool bike.  I think I was 7 or 8 when my parents gave it to me, not sure if it was a birthday present but I remember the bike like it was yesterday.  The paint job was yellow and brown.  The seat was one of those long banana seats with the chrome accents on the back.  The handlebars looked like something you would see on an Orange County Chopper, and the back tire was about 4 inches wide and looked like a racing slick. 

Yes, I was cool, I don't really remember not being cool, but the bike was more than image, more than style, more than mere transportation around the neighborhood...to me, the bike was freedom. Freedom to go, to go slow, to go fast, to feel the wind blowing through my mullet.  Freedom to chase other kids down and the ability to run away from them. 

I wore that bike out and in return that bike made my lungs stronger, my legs stronger, and it made my sense of adventure stronger.  There was a group of kids that got together every day, sort of our own bicycle gang, we would race, we would jump ramps, we would play follow the leader.  We rode through woods, on gravel roads, in and out of ditches but the very best ridding was when we made our way to asphalt.  The smoothness was like pure butter!  

As the riders of the Tour de France completed the final lap I couldn't help but to think about that bike, about that freedom, about those times.  What would I give to be there again, in that place again, on my bike again?

Who knows....maybe I will take a spin this evening and while the mullet is gone the wind is still there.

      Another week gone, yet this week I am asking the boys to keep the armored car in the garage in an effort to reduce my carbon footprint, besides, I didn't have enough material this week to warrant the trip to Iron Mountain. 

1.  Friday is for photos:  This was taken while out with the family.  I didn't realize how serious Pirates were about their education (zoom in on the back of the bus).  Who would have known?  I also like the "Hug Life" on the side. 

Several of you have asked to see pictures of the new summer home.  I normally try to keep my personal life secret but thought I would share our new "little" getaway with you.

If you like great photography make sure to visit Steve Mckoy's Friday photos here [link] and Joe Thorn's here [link].

Want to see your photo published here?  Submit all family friendly photos to bjnotbk@gmail.com for consideration.  Please note that I reserve the right to publish or not publish any submission.

2. The new template may be on hold for a while.  I have everything together but our webmaster has been working day and night on several projects.  Many thanks to him and his hard work in making this site possible.

3.  After talking things over with the wife I have decided to trade in my Viper concept bike [link] for something a little more family friendly [link].

4.  Thanks to everyone for stopping by bjnotbk while out on the information superhighway.  It is our priveledge to serve you.  Looking forward to next week and another string of posts with possible topics including:

Who stole my Marlboro miles?  A deep look into the Britney-Kfed divorce

Life the Universe and One night at McDonald's

Three easy steps to fooling doping controls in pro-cycling

What to feed a pit bull in training?

Why we should use illegals to build the border fence then kick them out.

5.  Hope you have a great weekend.  

 KJV only...no, NKJV or KJV only....no, NIV will work (nearly inspired version).  Well, what about the American Standard, the English Standard, The AMPLIFIED!!!!! Version, the Living Translation, dare I even ask.....The Message?

We now have more access to more Bibles in more languages, in more translations than ever before but which one should we use?  God has given us His holy word in several ways:

1.  Through Jesus who "In the beginning was the Word..".

2.  Through his Holy Spirit via Moses, the prophets, and the Apostles.

Yet as a believer how are we to choose which version to read and why? 

And does it matter?

Do some versions water down God's word, change it's meaning, divert us from the truth?  Are some versions more accurate than others? 

 Today is the day.  As I write this post I must confess to you that I am hidden away in a small villa in Italy receiving a blood transfusion.  The truth is that I can't keep up with the younger bloggers so I have resorted to blood doping to boost my performance. 

I have also finished another round of steroids, ingested cases of creatine, and am back on my diet of cream rich foods....mmmmm cream rich foods.

My hopes are that by the beginning of next week I will once again be back on form, back on top, and posting like a machine fueled by my new found roid rage.

Thank goodness the blogging world hasn't followed suit of other professions such as the NFL, NBA, MLB and instituted a drug testing policy.

Speaking of professional sports, I know no one in America is watching the Tour de France but did you see where they just pulled the leader, Rasmussen, out of the race for allegedly doping?  I am told that the only cyclists remaining are two guys from Belgium and an elderly lady with a thick mustache.

French authorities were quick to point out that the elderly lady is under suspicion due to the large amounts of facial hair and that she would soon be tested for testosterone.

Goofy French. 

Have you noticed the recent barrage of violence within families recently?  Kidnappings, killings, suicides 356,891,234 this year already and those are just in the NFL and NBA.

Has this always been the case?  Has there always been a rash of husbands killing their pregnant wives, father's killing their children, mother's leaving their kids in hot cars?  Is this recent uptick just a renewed focus of the media on such subjects or are we really seeing an increase?

Is it steroids? Pornography? Violence on Television?

What say you?

Come here tomorrow for answers.
 

 Another week gone, and another series of posts handed over in triplicate to the folks at iron mountain to be hauled via armored car to the hillside bunker for safe keeping.   I am told that the caravan will have two pit bulls on board recently purchased from the Bad Newz Kennel owned by none other than ex Atlanta Falcon Superstar Michael Vick. 

1.  Friday is for photos:  The first was taken at the Chattanooga Discovery Museum. 

This picture comes to you courtesy of Fluffy Cow.  I'll let her do the explaining.

If you like great photography make sure to visit Steve Mckoy's Friday photos here [link] and Joe Thorn's here [link].

Want to see your photo published here?  Submit all family friendly photos to bjnotbk@gmail.com for consideration.  Please note that I reserve the right to publish or not publish any submission. 

Also, please be on the lookout soon for a link to my Flickr photo album. 

2.  The new template for the blog has been sent to the webmaster for upload so be on the lookout.

3.  I have watched almost every stage of the Tour de France and haven't lost one pound.

4.  53.....that is the number of push ups I can now do in under a minute.  My goal is to be able to do 100 push ups in one minute or less and to have chiseled pecs like Mark Rose and Joe Napalm.

5.   Really Vick?  Dog fighting?  In other related news Gary Coleman was accused of running a ring of fighting chihuahuas.  I tell you, these superstars never learn do they?

6.  Anyone up for a "What I did on my summer vacation" essay?  

7.  Work has been a complete bear this week.  Everything is an emergency.

8.  Conversation overheard - "This job is proof that purgatory exists"

9.   I have three races left for the year that I would like to do.  The first one is a 5k Marine Mud Run.  I have always wanted to do a mud run.  The second race is a 8.4 mile trail race and the third race is our town's annual Autumn Fest 8k held Thanksgiving morning.  The problem is it has been too hot to run much lately.

10.  I thought about giving up coffee....that was the worst 2 minutes of my life!

11.  What are you listening to?  After watching the clip from Britain's [link] got talent I pulled out my Three Tenor's Greatest Hits CD and burned to my computer...next step is to load it on the ipod.

12.  Anyone have any plans this weekend?  We have been invited up to the mountains for breakfast Saturday morning but not sure what we will do.  Have a great weekend everyone, thank you for reading, and God bless you and your family! 

P.S. Thought you might enjoy my latest toy [link].  Some of the shareholders here decided to get this for me based on bjnotbk's performance during 3 quarter for 2007. 

 Who would have ever thought that a fine outstainding young man like Vick would ever have run into so many problems?

This is a great topic though as it hits several issues:

1. Animal cruelty

2. Sports and the "thug culture"

Forget it...I am too tired to write about this subject nor do I care. 

 Napalm brought this story to my attention recently and my lovely wife sent me the video [link].

This is amazing!  Watch the video here [link].

It is awesome to watch the expressions on the judges and the crowd’s faces and how they change as he begins to sing.  How powerful is it when people move from being very tense and almost embarrassed for the guy to seeing their shoulders relax, smiles come over their faces and tears stream from their eyes….it was like some sort of triumph?

 I came across this movie the other day and had to share it with you.

The title of the file is "One Word" and was created by Chelsea Moore 17 of Tennessee.

The film is short but very cool [link] about 60 seconds.

The concept is also simple but great.  If you could pick one word to define you, to be your charge, to guide and then live that word out what would it be? 

Here are a few I thought of for myself - laughter, warm, close

By the way...Chelsea was honored in New York City as one of nine winners of an international film making contest for 16- to 25-year-olds, she is 17, and she is home schooled.

What is your word? 

 If you are like me you tend to visit the same handful of sites each day, week, whatever.  If you are like me you also like to have everything at your fingertips, easy, and accessible so here is a great tip for those of you who don't already know it.

Google allows you to customize your own "Google" page where you can load your favorite websites and each time you launch Google you can see all sites with the latest updates on each site.  Follow me here for a second.  Let's say you just by chance like to visit both www.bjnotbk.com and Joe Napalm.  You can load each of us into your customized Google page and whenever we make a new post....bingo!  You see it.  This allows you to track updates on most of your favorite sites.  Here are the instructions:

1.  Create your own Google page here [link]. 

2.  Select from the list of items that you would like to display and then hit the "show my page" button.

3.  Once you have created your personal page you can add sites via their address by clicking on the "add stuff" button.

4.  You can also move your different sites around to arrange them just the way you like them.

5.  Enjoy!

Hope this helps.

Let me know if you use this or if this was helpful.
 

 I slept like a baby last night, meaning I woke about every 2 hours cried, ate, and then used the bathroom, I am too young for this yet something serene happened to me early this morning, something surreal.  As I finally dozed off I fell into a deep sleep, relaxed, calm, and I began to dream. 

I don't recall the dream but a sense of euphoria crept over me, peace settled on my trouble mind like a Yugoslavian snow drift.  I awoke but this time I neither cried nor ate, something big had just happened, something that would forever change my world but what?  Then I remembered that my barber informed me that this morning at 11:00 GMT (6AM EST) 5 million people had pledged to join around their computers to send positive energy and love out simultaneously to heal the planet [link].  Why hadn't someone thought about this before?

  I looked at my clock and wouldn't you know it.......6:35 A.M. what was this strange emotional calm I had just entered?  Had I just been engulfed by the love of the world? 

Naaah, it appears I just had a little gas.  I think I will be ok though.

I wish I could make this stuff up but I can't.  This weekend the FDA released an announcement warning against "tainted veggie booty" [link].  Tainted with what and how?

That is why I only eat all meat booty.

Goofy vegans. 

 Another week gone, and another series of posts handed over in triplicate to the folks at iron mountain to be hauled via armored car to the hillside bunker for safe keeping.   I am told that the caravan will have two three eyed, yak pups from Uganda in tow because everyone knows that not even an extremist would dare harm the three eyed, yak pups from Uganda.  Just for safe measure I have also duct taped 5 spotted owls, a baby seal, and a humback whale to the roof of the armored car.

1.  Friday is for photos:  The first picture is of me supporting subsidized art....man my back is really getting tired of carrying this worn out culture!

The next picture is of my little girl enjoying our recent vacation.  What a ham!

If you like great photography make sure to visit Steve Mckoy's Friday photos here [link] and Joe Thorn's here [link].

Want to see your photo published here?  Submit all family friendly photos to bjnotbk@gmail.com for consideration.  Please note that I reserve the right to publish or not publish any submission.  

2.  I am still working on a new blog template so be on the lookout for the world premiere.  I am also in negotiations with an agent for a well know writer to add to bjnotbk for a weekly or monthly post....more to come on that one.

3.  Vacation was wonderful - we slept a total of 27 minutes over four days but it was well worth it.  

4.  What are you listening to?  Last night me and L drove around listening to Johnny Cash's last album - American V [link].  If you haven't heard this one here is a free taste [link].  If you don't own it why not? 

5.  Tuesday M and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary.  We ate sushi and then treated ourselves to desert at the melting pot.  Have you ever been to the melting pot?  Why not?  Oh, we also stopped by the Sunsphere for a night tour [link]. 

6.  Anyone have plans this weekend?  I do but just don't know what they are yet.  Have a great weekend and God bless! 

Green blah blah blah, eco yada yada yada, nature do do do, mother earth....whatever.  I am all for taking care of God's creation but this extreme focus on the environment bores me to tears.

I say let's really get militant on the environment but not as it relates to nature.  How about an environmental movement that focuses on the one environment that matters most....the family.

Why not a global concert for families?  For men to be men, to step up and to stand out.  For men to be fathers to lead their families.  Why not a women's movement that praised and supports women for raising their children instead of degrading them?

The last thing I care about is Kanye West rapping with the Police to save the Swahili, swamp nut grub that is endangered.  I am more worried about the kid who is angry, hurt, unloved, abused, neglected than I am about the spotted owl, or an acre of frozen tundra in Alaska.

If we save the natural environment under the guise of "leaving our children an inheritance" yet fail to provide a nurturing home environment for them what good is it?  Will a child who grew up in a broken home really appreciate the three eyed, yak pups of Uganda?

I say let's put the mental back into environmentalism and let's focus on the most important environment of all.......our homes.