Okay, I decided to try this. All you do is go to Google and type (with the quotation marks): "YOUR NAME needs" and put in the first 10. Tell me what you think.
1. Drew needs a heart.
2. Drew needs more cowbell.
3. Drew needs some prayers.
4. Drew needs to be shot.
5. Drew needs to get a clue.
6. Drew needs your help now!
7. Drew needs a new picture.
8. Drew needs all the help he can get!
9. Drew needs a restraining order.
10. Drew needs a date (because apparently the last one filed a restraining order against him).
Wow...I never realized I was in such bad condition...
13 September 2007
10 July 2007
My new blog!
Hey everyone!
Please check out my other blog that I just started which is of a more spiritual tone:
http://the-eternal-god-reigns.blogspot.com/
I've got one post up now! Enjoy!
Please check out my other blog that I just started which is of a more spiritual tone:
http://the-eternal-god-reigns.blogspot.com/
I've got one post up now! Enjoy!
11 June 2007
Harry Potter...I wonder if the asylums have been filling up with his fans?
Well, those who know me well know that I really do have a love for the Harry Potter books and movies, and with one of each coming up next month, I guess that I just can't get much more excited. I suddenly started getting the itch last night and watched the 3rd movie, Prisoner of Azkaban, and then started reading the books all over again. I'm now about one third of the way through Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone, and I spent half the day prowling Potter websites. I'm usually not all that obsessive about the books and movies, but when I stumble across something Potter, I fall flat on my face, and it probably wouldn't be much of a surprise to see me walking around town in a standard Hogwarts uniform with round glasses and a lightning bolt scar on my forehead.
Okay, so maybe I'm not that obsessed, but I still love the story, and now I find myself getting nervous about the ending! What's going to happen? Will Harry die? For the longest time I was the first person to say I don't know, and I think that if that's how Jo can best tell the story, she should go for it, but then I pick up and read once again the first chapter where it all started. I read about Harry as a little baby, and I think of him as a child, and I find myself saying, "No! How could the fate of all life in the world depend so much on this one little baby? His mother died to save his life...he can't die!" Just the same, I still have to admit that response was driven a little too much by emotion, and what more noble hero would there be than one who would willingly sacrifice his life to ensure the safety of everyone else?
I think the other big question that is plaguing everyone is: Snape...good or evil? My answer is a somewhat uncertain "good." Of course I'll just have to wait and find out with everyone else, but I think there are at least two bits of strong evidence in his favour. One is simply the way Dumbledore trusted him. Even though Dumbledore was certainly capable of making mistakes, they were few and far between, and clearly no matter how dodgy Snape seems throughout the stories, there's clearly something very powerful he's done to convince Dumbledore of his conversion from the dark side. Dumbledore was no fool, so clearly Snape did more than simply say a few kind words to convince Dumbledore he'd changed. Somehow, he'd proven it to the point of making Dumbledore believe he'd changed beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Another thing working in Snape's favour (although I'm going somewhat on hearsay here) would have to be the part in Half-Blood Prince where Harry overhears Snape in Dumbledore's office saying he won't do something, and Dumbledore insists that he must. May that have been Snape saying he couldn't possibly kill Dumbledore, and Dumbledore insisting that it's necessary? I think it's a possibility.
One more thing that I think shows Snape's loyalty would have to be at the end of the Hogwarts battle in HBP. It's in this scene, after Snape has done the unspeakable, that we find him in a show down with Harry. What does Snape do? He easily blocks all of the curses and hexes that Harry tries to throw at him, both Snape and Harry loathing one another with every fiber of their being, and in the livid discourse they share with one another, Snape slips in one little line which I find very interesting: "Blocked again and again and again until you learn to keep your mouth shut and your mind closed, Potter!"
Did anyone else notice this? Is Snape helping Harry Potter? Is Snape not giving Harry tips on the weaknesses he needs to fight if he's ever to defeat Voldemort? Wasn't it Snape who tried to teach Harry Occlumency? Hasn't Harry just spent the last school year struggling with non-verbal spells, and in the heat of the moment, isn't Snape emphasizing to him the importance that he improve on it if he wants to ever defeat Voldemort?
In all of this loyalty, I think the case for Snape falls short in one way: he effectively performed the Avada Kadavra curse on Dumbledore. Wasn't it stated in OotP that one must truly hate the person they're trying to kill and feel it with every fibre of their being in order for this curse to work? If Dumbledore just died by the Avada Kedavra curse, and Snape was the one who spoke the curse, how could he possibly have been faithful to Dumbledore? Perhaps he was able to brainwash himself into it, but this is still the one area I struggle with when taking into consideration whether or not Snape is good.
However, I guess only time will tell. We'll have to wait and see what happens. In the mean time, I strongly encourage you to come over to the right side. Join Dumbledore's Army by clicking on either the banner on the side of the page or at the bottom.
Okay, so maybe I'm not that obsessed, but I still love the story, and now I find myself getting nervous about the ending! What's going to happen? Will Harry die? For the longest time I was the first person to say I don't know, and I think that if that's how Jo can best tell the story, she should go for it, but then I pick up and read once again the first chapter where it all started. I read about Harry as a little baby, and I think of him as a child, and I find myself saying, "No! How could the fate of all life in the world depend so much on this one little baby? His mother died to save his life...he can't die!" Just the same, I still have to admit that response was driven a little too much by emotion, and what more noble hero would there be than one who would willingly sacrifice his life to ensure the safety of everyone else?
I think the other big question that is plaguing everyone is: Snape...good or evil? My answer is a somewhat uncertain "good." Of course I'll just have to wait and find out with everyone else, but I think there are at least two bits of strong evidence in his favour. One is simply the way Dumbledore trusted him. Even though Dumbledore was certainly capable of making mistakes, they were few and far between, and clearly no matter how dodgy Snape seems throughout the stories, there's clearly something very powerful he's done to convince Dumbledore of his conversion from the dark side. Dumbledore was no fool, so clearly Snape did more than simply say a few kind words to convince Dumbledore he'd changed. Somehow, he'd proven it to the point of making Dumbledore believe he'd changed beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Another thing working in Snape's favour (although I'm going somewhat on hearsay here) would have to be the part in Half-Blood Prince where Harry overhears Snape in Dumbledore's office saying he won't do something, and Dumbledore insists that he must. May that have been Snape saying he couldn't possibly kill Dumbledore, and Dumbledore insisting that it's necessary? I think it's a possibility.
One more thing that I think shows Snape's loyalty would have to be at the end of the Hogwarts battle in HBP. It's in this scene, after Snape has done the unspeakable, that we find him in a show down with Harry. What does Snape do? He easily blocks all of the curses and hexes that Harry tries to throw at him, both Snape and Harry loathing one another with every fiber of their being, and in the livid discourse they share with one another, Snape slips in one little line which I find very interesting: "Blocked again and again and again until you learn to keep your mouth shut and your mind closed, Potter!"
Did anyone else notice this? Is Snape helping Harry Potter? Is Snape not giving Harry tips on the weaknesses he needs to fight if he's ever to defeat Voldemort? Wasn't it Snape who tried to teach Harry Occlumency? Hasn't Harry just spent the last school year struggling with non-verbal spells, and in the heat of the moment, isn't Snape emphasizing to him the importance that he improve on it if he wants to ever defeat Voldemort?
In all of this loyalty, I think the case for Snape falls short in one way: he effectively performed the Avada Kadavra curse on Dumbledore. Wasn't it stated in OotP that one must truly hate the person they're trying to kill and feel it with every fibre of their being in order for this curse to work? If Dumbledore just died by the Avada Kedavra curse, and Snape was the one who spoke the curse, how could he possibly have been faithful to Dumbledore? Perhaps he was able to brainwash himself into it, but this is still the one area I struggle with when taking into consideration whether or not Snape is good.
However, I guess only time will tell. We'll have to wait and see what happens. In the mean time, I strongly encourage you to come over to the right side. Join Dumbledore's Army by clicking on either the banner on the side of the page or at the bottom.
19 April 2007
Allergies!
Well, it seems that it's that time of year again! My allergies are acting up on me, so I've got the sore throat that will soon turn into the stuffy nose. I've also got the cough that starts with the sore throat and will last well past the time the stuffy nose is gone. Southern Illinois is one of the greatest places to live...until allergy season comes! Really, it's a bittersweet time because everything is soooo green and colorful outside. How can one not love it? However, the scratchy throat and stuffy nose come along and always remind me that I should have started taking my Claritin a couple weeks ago, and I always seem to get off my vitamins until Spring begins too.
All in all though, everything's been great lately. Teaching has been lots of fun, my classes have been pretty good, and the college semester is coming to a fairly stress-free close. How can someone complain about that? When 14 and 15 year olds are behaving when the weather's warming up, it's nothing short of a miracle. What do I have to complain about?
I've also had a lot of fun teaching 8th Grade Boys' Sunday School at church lately. When they pay attention, they do a great job of answering questions and showing that they have insight into what the Scriptures are talking about. Plus, my evening class on Tuesday nights has finished up with having regular meetings, which means I can start going to FCA again! Yea! Things just can't get much better!
All in all though, everything's been great lately. Teaching has been lots of fun, my classes have been pretty good, and the college semester is coming to a fairly stress-free close. How can someone complain about that? When 14 and 15 year olds are behaving when the weather's warming up, it's nothing short of a miracle. What do I have to complain about?
I've also had a lot of fun teaching 8th Grade Boys' Sunday School at church lately. When they pay attention, they do a great job of answering questions and showing that they have insight into what the Scriptures are talking about. Plus, my evening class on Tuesday nights has finished up with having regular meetings, which means I can start going to FCA again! Yea! Things just can't get much better!
16 April 2007
Other Countries' Warning Levels
My dad just e-mailed this to me. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!
The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent terrorist threats and have raised their security level from "Miffed" to "Peeved." Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or even "A Bit Cross." Londoners have not been "A Bit Cross" since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies all but ran out. Terrorists have been re-categorized from "Tiresome" to a "BloodyNuisance." The last time the British issued a "Bloody Nuisance" warning level was during the great fire of 1666.
Also, the French government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from "Run" to "Hide." The only two higher levels in France are "Surrender" and "Collaborate." The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France's white flag factory, effectively paralyzing the country's military capability.
It's not only the English and French that are on a heightened level of alert. Italy has increased the alert level from "Shout Loudly and Excitedly" to "Elaborate Military Posturing." Two more levels remain: "Ineffective Combat Operations" and "Change Sides."
The Germans also increased their alert state from "Disdainful Arrogance" to "Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs." They also have two higher levels: "Invade a Neighbor" and "Lose."
Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual, and the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels.
The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy.
The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent terrorist threats and have raised their security level from "Miffed" to "Peeved." Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or even "A Bit Cross." Londoners have not been "A Bit Cross" since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies all but ran out. Terrorists have been re-categorized from "Tiresome" to a "BloodyNuisance." The last time the British issued a "Bloody Nuisance" warning level was during the great fire of 1666.
Also, the French government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from "Run" to "Hide." The only two higher levels in France are "Surrender" and "Collaborate." The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France's white flag factory, effectively paralyzing the country's military capability.
It's not only the English and French that are on a heightened level of alert. Italy has increased the alert level from "Shout Loudly and Excitedly" to "Elaborate Military Posturing." Two more levels remain: "Ineffective Combat Operations" and "Change Sides."
The Germans also increased their alert state from "Disdainful Arrogance" to "Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs." They also have two higher levels: "Invade a Neighbor" and "Lose."
Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual, and the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels.
The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy.
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