The Omak Foreign Inspector

First Night Out

2005-07-20T23:01:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am...In SeaTac. I have no idea why I'm doing this, but oh well. I'm sitting here in my room chatting with some friends and I must confess, this place sucks. I'm staying at the Ramada Inn in SeaTac. Horrible place. I enter my room and I immediately begin to choke on the cigarette smoke soaked into the walls. My alarm clock doesn't work, the TV black and white half the time and the reception is as fuzzy as eightmonth old pizza. The bathroom is missing some tiles and the walls have more holes than the cornerstone youth building. But...In spite of that it isn't horrible. My experience hasn't been the best so far. I was picked up at the airport by this nice lady from YFU, but by the time dinner came around, I could tell that she had made friends with the bottle. She was funny, but I'm glad she wasn't driving.

I head out early tomorrow for a long flight to Washington Dulles and from there to Frankfurt and then Dresden, where I will meet my host family.So, here's hoping that the rest of my travels are better than what i have had so far.

Peace out

The End

2005-04-29T09:06:00.000-07:00

Hey, This is the coolest Alt Rock station on earth. Check it out! Tons of local and alternative musick. It's streaming. Tons of live stuff, tons of concerts, tons of exclusives. CHECK IT OUT

Habemus Papam

2005-04-19T10:52:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 10:4 He who has a slack hand becomes poor, But the hand of the diligent makes rich.

Not much to explain here. Work hard in life, become lazy, lose it all. Works spiritually too. Don't spend enough time with God, you become spiritually poor. Be diligent in spending time with GOd and you will be spiritually rich.

Everything has its beauty but not everyone sees it.
Confucius

This is one of those "makes you feel good" type quotes, but there's more to it than that. Note how it says everything not everyone Every experience we have is admirable and worthy of gaining wisdom from. So next time you are seriously off the wall, just think of how you can avoid the problem next time and it will make the experience worthwhile.

To be able to fill leisure intelligently is the last product of civilization.
Arnold Toynbee (1889 - 1975)

We still haven't gotten there, have we? We still spend all our leisure time watching TV, playing computer or...gulp...blogging. I can only hope to spend the rest of my time well now. What about you? How do you spend your leisure time?

Proverbial Thinkings

2005-04-18T09:29:00.000-07:00

I decided I needed some more ponderings of wisdom on my blog, so from now on, whenever I add a quote, I will do one set of quotes from Proverbs, one Confucian quote from the analects, and one just random quote. So... Here goes Oh and all Quotes will be given in NKJV

Proverbs 10:3 The LORD will not allow the righteous soul to famish, But He casts away the desire of the wicked.

What I get from this is that as believers, God will continue to give our souls continual nourishment. He may not give our bodies what it needs, but he will never fail to give our sould what they need. But the wicked, they have to fend for themselves, there is no guarantee of spiritual nourishment. They may get what they want for their life here, but they won't be getting what they want there.

Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes.
Confucius

When we make a mistke we need to accept them and learn from them. We can't just take them for what they are and hide them. For when we do that, we don't learn from them and no else does either. That's not only stealing the experience from yourself but from others as well.

A compliment is a gift, not to be thrown away carelessly, unless you want to hurt the giver.
Eleanor Hamilton

Two Words: Standing Ovation
I was at the Pacific Northwest Key Club convention and for the awards ceremony everytime something even remotely good was performed the audience gave a standing ovation.It was horrible. It was simply rewarding mediocrity and insulting the ones who truly deserved it. We, as people, need to be more cautious with our praise, lest it become just another attempt to celebrate worthlessness.

New Cd's

2005-04-14T08:48:00.000-07:00

Lo all! I am very pleased. I just got a couple of CD's in the mail the other day. I'll tell you all about them and include a pic.

1st: The Lime CD by David Crowder Band

2nd: Set it Off by Thousand Foot Krutch

3rd: Good News for People Who Love Bad News by Modest Mouse

4th: Relient K by Relient K

5th: The Swiss Army Romance by Dashboard Confessional
(I know wince-wince, the whole nine yards! Give me a break ok people, I like them, it's not the end of the world!)

6th: The Green Album by Weezer

7th: Songs About Jane by Maroon 5

So, that's what I got. Tell me what you think of my selection.

Such Great Heights-The Postal Service

2005-03-31T09:06:00.000-08:00

I am thinking it's a sign that the freckles
In our eyes are mirror images and when
We kiss they're perfectly aligned
And I have to speculate that God himself
Did make us into corresponding shapes like
Puzzle pieces from the clay
True, it may seem like a stretch, but
Its thoughts like this that catch my troubled
Head when you're away when I am missing you to death
When you are out there on the road for
Several weeks of shows and when you scan
The radio, I hope this song will guide you home

They will see us waving from such great
Heights, 'come down now,' they'll say
But everything looks perfect from far away,
'come down now,' but we'll stay...

I tried my best to leave this all on your
Machine but the persistent beat it sounded
Thin upon listening
That frankly will not fly. you will hear
The shrillest highs and lowest lows with
The windows down when this is guiding you home

This is such a beautiful and poetic song. Click Here to listen to it. The lyrics are just such a good example of someone in love.

I am thinking it's a sign that the freckles
In our eyes are mirror images and when We kiss they're perfectly aligned

To me, that's saying that no matter how imperfect we may perceive us to be, in our lovers eyes, we are perfect, faultless. When we are with the one, both are faultless before the other.

And I have to speculate that God himself
Did make us into corresponding shapes like
Puzzle pieces from the clay

This says that there it is just so perfect that there is truly someone out there for everyone. Some people may match others, some don't fit at all, and some fit but aren't the best fit. It's jsut such a cool analogy.

This song is just so full of love and emotion and powerful imagery. It's a beautiful song and if I tried to examine it any further it would take forever. Read the lyrics, listen to the song, examine it for yourself. I am sure it will mean different things to different people. Then, tell me what you get out of it.

The Quandary

2005-03-30T09:07:00.000-08:00

How will this generation, my generation, raise the next? Will we force feed them everything we believe? Will we give them nothing and let them figure out life for themselves? Will we let others do our jobs for us? What will we do? This are some of the questions I have been pondering lately. Where is the line between too much indoctrination and not enough. Too much indoctrination and you have rebellion. Not enough and you potentially have the same problem. Oh Wait!(dry sarcasm) Here's a novel idea! How about we lead by example rather then by words. If we could raise the next generation by example we could change everything in their lives that aren't in ours. Perhaps we could become a nation of moral people who are moral by action rather than just in ideology. Perhaps we could become a church who is different. A church that deserves to call themselves in the world and not of it. Right now, we aren't there. We are a church of hypocrites. We verbally raise our children one way and then lose our validity by doing something else. We condemn society for being morally corrupt but fail to recognize and acknowledge that we are still society. We are still corrupt, we're just better at hiding it. Better at being hypocrites. Better at lying through our teeth and saying that we are perfect because we are Christian. How dare we? How dare we condemn others of sin when we cannot even bring ourselves to admit our own sin? How dare we? How dare we? Maybe. Just maybe. If we lived our lives for Christ rather than for our precious church we might be able to. So for now, I'm living for my life with Christ. Let the organized church be damned and let each person live and not be afraid to show it. Perhaps then we wouldn't even have to worry about how we raise the next. Perhaps...

Updates

2005-02-22T16:41:00.000-08:00

Hey Everybody!
As you can see, a lot is changing around here.
We now have a poll, new link pages, less clutter. I've been spending a lot of time on it lately and I hope to do a lot more to make this site more visually appealing.
So, enjoy!

Song of the Day

2005-02-11T09:10:00.000-08:00

Hey, I am creating a new service of Mine that I will call: Davids Song of the Day. Basically this, I send a song in mp3 format to anyone on my list everyday that I can and everyone can listen to it and then comment on my new blog about what they thought. If you want to sign up, just e-mail me or leave a comment. I'll tell you guys what the URl is so you can visit it.It will range from crazy too soothing to absolutely out there.

Napoleon Dynamite

2005-01-31T15:11:00.000-08:00

Oh no! I finally broke in and saw the movie. It was very well made, but isn't exactly my type of movie. It had some good lines and an okay plot, but it just didn't hit me right. It was funny, but not that funny. It was a really clean movie though. It has that much going for it. The soundtrack is great, but the movie is only mediocre.

OmakSounds

2005-01-27T23:54:00.000-08:00

I've decided to add all the songs I have on Foreign Inspector and place them on a separate, easy to access blog: omaksounds.blogspot.com From now on, I will have links to the music on both, but on OmakSounds, I will only add music.

The Insyderz-A little bit off Ska

2005-01-26T20:08:00.000-08:00

This is my first attempt at adding music to my blog. I think this is a good way for you all to tell how the lyrics go and for you to know my taste. This was recorded on a really old Sony telephone with a junky microphone. I'll try to find a better way to do these recordings. Just so you know, this song is I Could Sing of Your Love Forever.
I'll get some more Ska on a bit later.

A New Hope

2005-01-21T14:12:00.000-08:00

A New Hope by Five Iron Frenzy

Amy's going back to school today,
elation, jubilation streams from her face.
Did the halls smell of gunpowder still?
What made the human mind dark enough to kill?

A new hope,
where is your freedom?
A new hope,
cast off your burdens.

A darker world lies behind this one.
Cryptic it hides beneath perception.
We all saw it on that day,
stunned we stood stuttering.
What did the news say?

A new hope,
where is your freedom?
A new hope,
cast off your burdens.
A new hope,
where is your freedom?
A new hope,
here is your freedom.

Peace
fills us
by hope we steer
our dark hearts salvaged.
We live without fear...

This song was written soon after the tragedy at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Whenever I hear it, I always become really emotional. I can't forget the horrible things that happened there, but I can find peace of it in Christ. When all we find is bunk. When all that the world offers us isn't enough. When life isn't worth living. He is here. He gives me hope. He gives me a reason to live, a reason to cry, a reason to spend my life for him. If one song can bring up such powerful emotions, just imagine of what time with God daily can do. This is one thing that I have had problems with. Spending time, taking away my time, giving my time to God. My daily prayer is that I will care enough to pray tomorrow.

My Woot Sites

2005-01-20T17:08:00.000-08:00

For all who are wondering Woot is: it is a strongbadism for cool.
So I will be going through my link list and explaining them. If anybody has any suggestions for my link list, please comment.(are you getting the hint? COMMENT!)

The Homestarrunner: Homestarrunner is a flash based cartoon website. It has such things as Strong Bad E-mail, Teen Girl Squad, and other great cartoons. Check it out!Check it out!Check it out!Check it out!Check it out!Check it out!Check it out!

My School: Basically said, my school. Omak High School. It has links and photos, just don't expect to find me in there.

Salomon: My favorite outdoor company. They make everything from shoes, to skis, to snowboards, to apparel, to inline skates. It's a really great company. You can find some really cool pics from the Salomon-Saab Crossmax challenge there.

Kings Quest VGA: This one is gone as soon as I find a good replacement. It is basically a remake of a very good game. Not too much more than that.

Newsboys: Artists that compiled my favorite album of all time. Take me to Your Leader. Great Band. I think I might start a link section just for my bands. Worth considering.

Camp Bighorn: This is where I spent my summer working. Amazing camp in an amazing area. Beautiful locale and a life-changing summer.

Hitchhikers Guide Online:Right now it goes to h2g2.com, which is an online version of the Guide. I'm going to change it so it goes to the movies website though.

BMW Motorcycles: Maker of the best motorcycles on earth. Cool site, cool company. It's probably be kicked off soon though.

Wave Sport Kayaks: Really good kayak maker. Their site is normally pretty cool, so check it out before I get rid of the links.

So, that's all of the woot sites for now. It's going to be updated soon though.

Update

2005-01-20T16:42:00.000-08:00

Hello to anyone who might be tracking this.(as I chuckle to myself).
I have changed the site a bit. I got rid of that EEVL RSS reader. I changed the background, I added a quiz and I fixed the link to Nathan's blog. If you have any suggestions for this site, just comment.

The BLOG

2005-01-20T15:58:00.000-08:00

This is just going to be about some of the Blogs I have listed here.

Pastor Bob is the youth pastor of the Cornerstone Free Methodist Church. His blog is always profound and often funny. Most of his blogs are his thoughts on the Christian walk through reflections on life.

Molly Boers is a friend of mine who is now attending Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. Her blog has a lot about her life in college and her walk with the Lord. She hasn't updated in a while though.

Jamie Yelland is a also a close friend of mine. He started his blog, but he doesn't really do anything with it. I should probably stalk him until he updates it.

Nathan Martin is a close buddy of mine. Now that I have the link working again, you should visit him. He likes writing guitars and talking about the lord. His is updated fairly regularly.

Bobby Corson has been my friend longer than anyone else here in Omak. His blog is pretty goofy and non-sensical. It's funny if you know him though. Check it out.

Ian Thompson has been living in Bolivia for the last couple of months, so his blog will have cool stuff like that on it. I think he's going to start updating more regularly, so it's always a safe bet to check out his blog.

Ryan Guellich just started his blog a few days ago. Already he seems to have a good idea of where he is going. There is much potential there. It has a really good LOTR satire on it.

So those are all the Blog Links I have right now. I would really like to get an Omak Web going so that all our blogs are linked together. If you want to join the web or have me link to your site, just comment and leave your address.

Snow

2005-01-20T15:32:00.000-08:00

The snow is falling
The snow comes down,
but no more;
The snow is dead.

by Me

The snow is no longer here. The loop just closed this weekend. I'm so upset. Note: this is being written slightly more than a week after the Loop opened the season. (Stupid global warming) A rain followed by a day or two of sun totally ruined all chances that the Loop had this season. Sigh...

Another Song

2005-01-20T14:26:00.000-08:00

"Fractions" by Emery

one and three, you're here
(one and three, you're here
to tell me we can't do this)

to tell me we can't do this
(three for three, i'll disagree)

anymore

your hair and face against the mirror
as i take the steps to save what's left of me
someone's out when it's over

people steal from you
and they take anything they choose

it's good to see you
i missed you last night
that's such a lovely color
it goes with your eyes
before we fall asleep
i just wanted to say
this all seems so easy
but there's choices to make

can't decide, then look at the faces
candlelight
we're burning the pages
but ask us why
and hurting ourselves with this false start
resign yourself
and always be (and we pretend)
without the one (it simply gets easier)
thing you need (but it doesn't get easier)
reading words with no replies

when we have these mornings where we can say goodbye

i wanted to mean everything to you
but this isn't right
you keep coming back disassembled and i
keep losing this fight

i won't
answer

dancing under starlight glow
no one in the city knows
confidence can take you
nerves try to shake you
from going all the way

it's not that far

it's good to see you
i missed you last night
that's such a lovely color
it goes with your eyes
before we fall asleep
just wanted to say
this all seems so easy
there's choices to make

we watch the tide roll in
with cold air and coffeecake
holding our words at list
stopping the sounds they make
we know the way to go
we know each step to take
to be here

these words with no replies
stopping we's and starting i's
this need is killing me
and taking me over

i wanted to mean everything to you
but this isn't right
you keep coming back disassembled and i
keep losing this fight

I was listening to my Realplayer online the other day and I heard this song come on. I was soooo excited. I've been a fan of Emery for a couple of months now. I became a huge fan when I found out they were a Christian band. As a band On Tooth and Nail records, it is almost guaranteed that they are good. They are a emo/screamo band, but I love it. So naturally, I was really excited when this song actually began to get air time. The name of the album is the Weaks End, for anyone who is interested.

On the Subject of Music

2005-01-18T20:37:00.000-08:00

Music, who can live without it? We have music going through our head when we are alone and when we are with others. Not necessarily the music produced by instruments, but an inner sense of music. A sense of timing. A sense of being. Remember The Pearl by Steinbeck. Throughout the day, music is flowing through Kino's head. The music of the family, the music of the enemy, the music of the pearl. Throughout my day, I always have music with me. Not a CD player mind you, but I always have a song. Anything someone says can remind me of a song at random. It's beautiful. It can be anything from classical to Franz Ferdinand or Coldplay. I love music. Music is so precious to me. When I am upset, I can click one of playlists and the music can help me calm down. When I am sad, the music can make me not hurt so bad. It is a tool, but one that God put so much work into that it becomes a gift.

Thank you God for music.

The Power of RSS

2005-01-18T17:25:00.000-08:00

I have recently discovered one of the greatest ways of receiving news: RSS. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication. It is on thousands of sites from blogs, to news, to picture databases. In simplest terms it is basically a bit of news placed in a certain format on a page. You place the address of this page into a program called a RSS reader and everytime you update that page, the reader will refresh itself. Using this, I can receive the newest info from BBC, I can keep track of my favorite hockey team, and I can learn about new technology without ever having to go to a thousand different websites for this news. The simplest reader I have found is feedreader. Check out their website at www.feedreader.com, or click the link. Everytime you are online and you see a little orange button like this one you can click it and automatically subscribe to it. Very handy.

Bloggers such as me can add these to their sites. As you can see if you scroll down far enough, I have a feed already on here. Once I figure things out a tad better, I will add a better one and even add a RSS feed of my own.

Saved By Grace

2005-01-14T15:53:00.001-08:00

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–Ephesians 2:8 NIV

This is a key verse in the scriptures that had been taught to me, but one that I have not understood until now. I once read a definition of grace that makes so much sense:

Mercy is not getting what you deserve, Grace is getting what you don't deserve.

With this definition applied to our salvation, it cleared up so much for me. When we are taught about salvation, we are taught that Jesus saved us because he doesn't want us to go to hell. This is true, but not entirely. Jesus saved us because he wanted us to be with him. If it was salvation by mercy, our salvation would be nothing more than divine pity. But if we are saved by grace, our salvation is a gift, it is love. God saved us because he is love and he wants us to be with him and we don't deserve it. We can't deserve it, because it would be mercy and pity instead of a gift.

If God saved us because he merely wants us to be with him, than we can know that Jesus death was a gift. It was a gift to keep us with him. It wasn't out of pity, it wasn't so we wouldn't go to hell, it was so he could be with us. Every time someone refuses Jesus' gift, they aren't going to hell, they are separating themselves from God who died so he could be with us.

How sad it is that when so many of us are looking for acceptance, us Christians deny God's desire to others. We need to share God's love to others, because we should want others to be able to know him.

Poetry

2005-01-14T15:25:00.000-08:00

I have been challenged with finding examples of poetry and using them here. My favorite poetic line of all time is actually in a song.(go figure):

So here I sit looking at the traffic lights
The red extinguishes the hope that the green ignites

This was from Relient K's album mmHmm on the track I so Hate Consequences. This single phrase is just so perfect, that I can't help but get interested in poetry as a whole. The phrase is to me an analogy of my life with Christ. Sometimes I am revved up to go, and I roar down the street and suddenly, boom. I'm at a standstill. So I have to wait until I am ready to continue with my walk. Sometimes we rush ahead and run a light, but we miss out on the experiences that the stop would have provided us with. Sometimes the stretches are just green after green after green. But oftentimes, its green, go a ways, red. Sometimes the red light is only for a few seconds, sometimes it is for a couple of minutes. Either way, we need to trust in God so that when the light turns green again, we won't be caught with our engines off.

SKA

2004-12-27T11:45:00.000-08:00

SKA SKA SKA SKA
I love ska music. I am sitting here rocking out to The Insyderz. Five Iron, Supertones, Dakoda Motor Co, and Brave Saint Saturn in the queue. It is just the pure joy and praise always present that makes me love it so. Ska may be a dying genre, but It is my favorite. The beat, the horns, the checkered CD's and guys in suits. They make ska what it is. From the skapunk to skacore. I love it all.
If anyone wants a really energetic type of Christian music. Look no further than the Insyderz. For quirky try Five Iron Frenzy. For tripped out. try the OC Supertones. Dakoda and BraveSaint Saturn depend are just good ol' ska. So.. Go listen to SKA.

Kamikaze

2004-12-27T11:18:00.000-08:00

Kamikaze-Five Iron Frenzy

I'm going in
(1 2 3 and go)
Like a kamikaze
(Like Geronimo)
A leap of faith
(And I finally feel alive)
3 2 1 I'm going in

I don't know if it's just me
But it seems that things aren't changing
Every day is pretty much the same
With a little rearranging

If I do nothing I can't fail
No blistered hands, no broken nails
Killing time, I'm paralyzed
With bitter dreams and hollow eyes

I've been waiting for a revelation
For a moment of clarity
Conflicts and convolutions
Ricochet inside of me

There comes a time for throwing caution to the wind
I feel the pulse again

I'm going in
(1 2 3 and go)
Like a kamikaze
(Like Geronimo)
A leap of faith
(And I finally feel alive)
3 2 1 I'm going in

(1 2 3 say when)
Like a flaming arrow
(Soaring in the wind)
A leap of faith
(And I finally feel alive)
3 2 1 I'm going in

I am so slow to commit
I have wasted years on fences
Is it really true the shoes don't fit
Is it only my defences?

What if I don't measure up
Don't listen well, don't smile enough?
Alone and unknown up to now
Need to change direction somehow

I've been open to persuasion
Wanting someone to take the lead
It's a little disconcerting
Signing up for eternity

There comes a time for throwing caution to the wind
And so my life begins

I'm going in
(1 2 3 and go)
Like a kamikaze
(Like Geronimo)
A leap of faith
(And I finally feel alive)
3 2 1 I'm going in

(1 2 3 say when)
Like a flaming arrow
(Soaring in the wind)
A leap of faith
(And I finally feel alive)
3 2 1 I'm going in
I'm going in
I'm going in
I'm going...

I was listening to this song the other day, and I realized that this was a story from my life. Something that I needed to do, something that I need to hold true for myself. I have spent so much time in my life following others, I need to blaze a trail for myself. A trail that needs to be led by God. I'm tired or interpreting my walk through someone elses. I'm tired of feeling dead when someone I held to be good has let me and my faith. I am tired of putting my faith in man instead of God. Lord, please make me finally be alive in you. Lord, please help me to lead others for you.

This is what needs to happen in this world. We all need to stop being the led and start leading. We are too complacent, we need to quit being free-ranging sheep and become the helpers of the lsot around us. This is what needs to happen

2004-12-15T16:21:00.000-08:00

Buxtehude

HP

2004-12-12T08:51:00.000-08:00

No, I'm not referring to Hewlett-Packard. I'm referring to the series that has taken the World by storm. Yes, I'm actually talking about Harry Potter, the gangly creation of JKRowling. I have recently become a Pottermaniac. And it's not because of the fact that the person who plays Hermione is cute (Hem-Hem Grant). I have simply been made aware of the intricity of the whole series. If you even stop and analyze the books for a minute, you become awed at how detailed the plot lines are. Added to the fact is that no one knows what happens next. There are simply millions of different theories out there and some of them have very good supporting evidence. The best of course are the editorials. Mugglenet.com has some of the best examples of literary analysis I have ever seen. The North Tower and The Department of Mysteries are both really good editorials that really get into the text. Another good site for the in-depth type person is redhen-publications.com The author there provides an extremely in-depth look at the world of HP. My favorite site right now is HPANA.com The Harry Potter Automatic News Aggregator is also on JKR's favorite list. ON the site are the most up-to-date news on HP. It also a has a very good forum and a points systems that goes from Muggle to High Inquisitor. It is a good way just to share your ideas on the future of HP.
Anyway, just thought I would share some of my crazy crap on this crazy subject.

I also saw this mood/music thing on another blog, so I will czech it out today.

Current Mood: Excited
Current Music: Some Postman by The Presidents of the United States of America

Most Common Mistakes when buying a Paintball Gun

2004-12-06T14:50:00.000-08:00

uying the right paintball gun can be hard to do. Especially when you’re new to paintball. Too many newbies end up hating their first gun, almost always for reasons that could have been avoided. Reading about it is a great step in the right direction. (Or maybe you already made a mistake with the first paintball gun you bought and are a little wiser the second time around? After all, hardly anyone researches Brass Eagle guns, but tons of people buy them…)
1) Buying early

You don’t have to know everything about paintball or paintball guns to make a good buying choice. But you should have at least played the game several times before you think of getting your own equipment. Don’t buy first, and THEN play. If you can’t rent equipment, borrow a gun from a friend. Figure out what you like and don’t like about it. Figure out what kind of fields you like to play on. Then start thinking about buying your own gun.
2) Not doing your homework

Too many newbies randomly buy a marker only to find out it doesn’t work half the time – and then complain! Not all guns are created equal and not all similarly priced guns are the same quality. You will be much happier in the long run if you put a little effort up front into finding out what your options are. Talk to fellow players (ones that have more experience than you!); read reviews. Then buy.
3) Buying a gun based on looks

A good looking gun is not the same as a good gun. Yes, some good guns are also very good looking, but some good looking guns are awful. Also remember that if you mainly play woodsball, a flashy gun just makes you stand out more. If a paintball catches your eye, find out about it – don’t run out and buy it. If you do your homework, you won’t end up with a beautiful gun stuck in the back of your closet gathering dust.
4) Buying more gun than you can handle

Few things bug an experienced player more than seeing a noob out on the field with an expensive gun. You play like a noob, flashy gun or not. Also, more expensive guns typically are harder to maintain, particularly with people unfamiliar with paintball guns in the first place. Do yourself a favor – buy a modestly priced gun and put your energy into improving your playing skills and mechanical ability. Then, once you’ve learned enough to appreciate what that higher end gun can do, go buy it.
5) Ignoring Maintenance Issues

All paintball guns need to be cleaned, but it’s a sad thing when someone who is just interested in playing buys a gun that constantly needs tweaking. Or when someone who’s very handy buys a gun that you can’t tinker around with. When you research a gun, don’t just read about the rate of fire and whether it’s reliable and upgradeable. Find out how easy it is to clean and maintain, and make sure it matches your personality.
6) Buying a gun but not a mask

A mask is the most important piece of paintball equipment. You can be on a paintball field without a gun, but not without a mask. You can lose a game because of a bad gun, but you can lose an eye because of improper eye protection. So: Buy. A. Mask. It’s easy to do. Some gun packages come with masks (though these will be more uncomfortable and fog up more than a mask you bought separately). Don’t cut corners on this. If you can’t afford both the gun and the mask, then wait until you can.
7) Buying a long aftermarket barrel

If you’ve talked to other players about owning guns, you’ve probably heard that you will probably need to replace the barrel that comes with the gun (aka the stock barrel) with a new one (aka the aftermarket barrel). So you look at your 12 inch stock barrel, see a 21 inch barrel for sale and think “Wow, that’s awesome.” Wrong. Any barrel longer than 14 inches doesn’t help your gun’s performance and may even hurt it (plus it just gives other players more to hit).

If you want more help, visit LaDouxs or About.com

How its done.

2004-11-30T17:57:00.001-08:00

Today, I'm going to start a recurring thing on this site. I am going to review music and find truths in them. A sort of challenge to myself. At Bighorn, part of leadership training is to pick an item and proclaim the gospel through it. So, since music is my favorite, I am going to preach through it. So, the entry for today:

Handbook for the Sellout, Five Iron Frenzy

You found a way to draw a line, between the world and you.
Faking your identity it's true.
Did you think the word "alternative,"
Was only meant for the likes of you?
Do you think that they're too cool now?
Being popular is lame.
You're the one who made them popular,
All their songs are still the same.
You found them first, it made you stand apart, you know?
But then everyone jumped on the same bandwagon,
Making you an average Joe.
A lemming for the mediocre,
You were just a plain old joker, status quo.
Blame it on the band now, if you prick them do they bleed?
What's the point in playing what they want,
If you won't let them succeed?
Do you remember where we all came from?
Do you remember what it's all about?
When you made a point to be objective,
Before you started writing, Handbook for the Sellout?
You sunk your worth in being different,
Just to be like your own kind.
You traded in objectiveness,
For the underground you follow blind.
Do you remember where we all came from?
Do you remember what it's all about?
When you made a point to be objective,
Before you started writing, Handbook for the Sellout?

This song is about people who decide to do something different that everyone else because it makes them stand out. They see the world, see that it's all the same, and decide to be something different. They want the world to acknowledge them and love them, so they place all their faith in being different than everyone else. When their difference is noticed and people start copying them, they suddenly get offended because once again, they are the same as everyone else.

We get so frustrated at the world and decide to be something radically different. Instead of placing all of our hopes and happiness and what everyone else percieves us to be, we need to merely place our trust in God to make us different. The Bible says in Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden." We need to remember that by merely being Christians, we are going to be different anyway. We need to take pride in our differences and proudly proclaim to the nations that we are different because we have Christ in us.

The World

2004-11-30T17:25:00.000-08:00

What is it about other nations that intrigues us so? Are we acting out of pity, curiosity, or trying to improve our knowledge? Why is it that every young mans dream is to see the world? Does it make us better to know that two thousand miles away, the world has a custom that doesn't affect us anyway? Maybe, just maybe, there is another reason, something deeper that we believe will help us. It is our desires to know the unknown that drives us to experience this vast planet in its entirety. We simply hate not being in the know. Life, however still keeps secrets from us. Travel may bring us fame, riches, or knowledge, but it never brings us peace and prosperity. It never brings us a longer life or special powers. All it does is merely distinguish ourselves from the others near us. Maybe we will never know why we have this hidden desire to know more, but we will always roam, whether it be small distances or large. It is a part of who we are.

New Album

2004-11-09T14:49:00.000-08:00

"Just listen to the politician
wishing his position wasn't missing
everything his heart would like to say
and a constant in the constitution
is that there can't be one solution
it'd be so far from the truth
and we would hate it anyway
opinions are immunity to being told
you're wrong paper, rock, and scissors
they all have their pros and cons

and all of us we will endure
just like we always have
but you just can't be too sure
how long this will last

cause we control the chaos
in the back of our minds
our problems seem so small
but they grow on us like gravity
but gravity makes us fall"

The Only Thing Worse Than Beating A Dead Horse Is Betting On One
Track 5, mmhmm

Many different artists could have written this song. It has depth, philosophy, and an odd sense of rhythm. What surprised was who sang it: RELIENT K! This is by far the best album they have ever done. It is totally different from their previous entries. It contains rock, pop, punk, and emo influences. True amo for a Christian artist is very rare, but Relient K pulled it off. They add a depth of emotion to the songs in this album that the other albums can't even compare to. mmhmm is a beautiful album with strong riffs, strong sense of style and a well arranged track list. It extends beyond one or two strong tracks. Thisalbum is one of those albums that should be listened to as an album rather than just a single track . I would recommend this album to anyone who is not satisfied with mainstream CCM music.

Another Language? Mother Please.

2004-11-01T19:05:00.000-08:00

Mother, This is horrible. You are learning yet another language partially. This is not good. It is a symptom of Yelland syndrom. The diagnosis is as follows: owns too many types of software for something that they never use. We already have programs for French, Italian, Russian, and a hundred other languages. How many more do we need. I mean, you can only learn so many. So... how can I apply this to my life? I think that I have so much on my plate, that nothing gets enough attention. So, starting today, I will try to de-scheduleize my life. Maybe it will work maybe not.

CGNU

2004-11-01T18:41:00.000-08:00

"STRONG BAD: {singing} Check that email, check it down, check that email, smack it around.

dear strong bad,

i want to be a graduate of Crazy Go Nuts
University, just like you. Please let me know
how i can accomplish this goal.
thank you.

Margo

STRONG BAD: {typing} I'm glad you asked me, Margo.

{Strong Bad gets up from his seat and enters an office, as if he's doing a commercial.}

STRONG BAD: Do you want to be more awesome? Sure! We all do. Here in Crazy Go Nuts University you can get the experience you'll need to be almost half as awesome as I am. Get your certificate in:

{A list starts to scroll from the bottom of the screen, and Strong Bad reads off each entry as it goes by.}

STRONG BAD: Cheesing People Off, Indian-Giving, Cutting Ones, Doing Some Other Things, Home Invasion, Cracking Wise, World Domination, Sending Me a Dollar, Total Spaceship Guy, TV / VCR Repair or GET YOUR DEGREE!

{The list disappears, and we get an extreme close-up on Strong Bad's face}

STRONG BAD: Applying is easy, just take this free art test.

{Strong Bad holds up a picture of a mean man with a big knife drawn on the test paper, which the camera then focuses on.}

STRONG BAD: Fill out the test and send it back to us. And you will be well on your way to a better, awesomer you.

{Cut from the paper back to Strong Bad}

STRONG BAD: Remember, at Crazy Go Nuts University, the future is... you. Probably.

{The CGNU logo appears on-screen}

ANNOUNCER: {voiceover} Actual applicants not accepted. Art test is only so we can make fun of you. "

Would you want to go to a StrongBad affiliated university? Imean, what would you learn. And the racial environment would be nil. I mean, everybody would wear wrestling masks. O well, just did this for fun.

The Mighty Murphy

2004-10-29T13:22:00.000-07:00

This entry is going to be about Murphy(No, George, Not You). This is about THE Murphy. The catalyst who began the cynical revolution known as Murphy's Law. Capt. Edward A Murhpy, of the US Air Force was an engineer on a project that determined how much decelleration the body can handle. After finding several misplaced wires in the machine, Murphy's supervisor,George E. Nichols added "Murphy's Law to his list of other "laws". When holding a press conference, the bases doctor said their success was based on their firm belief of evading Murphy's Law. Aero industries began to quote this "law" and a revolution was born. Here is the original law and a few of my favorite corrolarys.

If anything can go wrong, it will.
To err is human, but to really foul things up requires a computer.
The time a teacher takes in explaining is inversely proportional to the information retained by students.
Professional soldiers are predictable; the world is full of dangerous amateurs.
The nicer a mother is, the greater the probability that her kids are rotten.
and finally: Success occurs when no one is looking, failure occurs when someone is watching

Quotes

2004-10-28T20:10:00.001-07:00

Here are my favorite Quotes
First they came for the Communists but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists but I was not one of them, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Jews but I was not Jewish so I did not speak out. And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.

Martin Niemoeller

Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.

Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900)

The tooth fairy teaches children that they can sell body parts for money.

David Richerby

O Lord, help me to be pure, but not yet.

Saint Augustine (354 AD - 430 AD)

The secret of happiness is to make others believe they are the cause of it.

Al Batt,

When we are unable to find tranquility within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere.

Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613 - 1680)

The thing that impresses me the most about America is the way parents obey their children.

King Edward VIII (1894 - 1972)

America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between.

Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900)

In religion and politics, people's beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second hand, and without examination.

Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)

Even if you do learn to speak correct English, whom are you going to speak it to?

Clarence Darrow (1857 - 1938)

He hoped and prayed that there wasn't an afterlife. Then he realized there was a contradiction involved here and merely hoped that there wasn't an afterlife.

Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001)

"You should make a point of trying every experience once, excepting incest and folk dancing."

Sir Arnold Bax (1883 - 1953)

It isn't necessary to have relatives in Kansas City in order to be unhappy.

Groucho Marx

People who work sitting down get paid more than people who work standing up.

Ogden Nash (1902 - 1971)

Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together....

Carl Zwanzig

You can go a long way with a smile. You can go a lot farther with a smile and a gun.

Al Capone (1899 - 1947)

Baseball is 90% mental, the other half is physical.

Yogi Berra

Hey, maybe this quote'll become famous someday.

Jamie Yelland

2004-10-27T22:59:00.000-07:00

Tonsure

God in our lives

2004-10-27T21:35:00.000-07:00

There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, "All right, then, have it your way."

C. S. Lewis

In life we sometimes grudgingly do as God tells us to do. This should not be. Rather, we should give God our lives and let the world have its way. Sometimes, I think that we let God have his way and it doesn't go as planned, so we blame it on us and instead of realizing that we need God to help us out, we try to improve ourselves. I know thats what I did, and sometimes still do. I can only pray that God will forgive and change me from what I am into what he wants me to be.

Money!

2004-10-27T21:13:00.001-07:00

The best things in life are free
but you can give them to the birds and bees.

I want money THAT'S WHAT I WANT
that's what I want THAT'S WHAT I WANT
that's what I want, ye-ye-yeh
that's what I want.

Money don't get everything it's true.
What it don't get I can't use.
So gimme money THAT'S WHAT I WANT
a little money THAT'S WHAT I WANT
that's what I want, ye-ye-yeh
that's what I want.
Yeh gimme money THAT'S WHAT I WANT
a little money THAT'S WHAT I WANT
that's what I want THAT'S WHAT I WANT
so gimme money THAT'S WHAT I WANT
that's what I want, ye-ye-yeh
that's what I want.

solo

Your lovin' give me a thrill
but your lovin' don't pay my bill.
Now gimme money THAT'S WHAT I WANT
that's what I want THAT'S WHAT I WANT
that's what I want, ye-ye-yeh
that's what I want.

Money don't get everything it's true.
What it don't get I can't use.
So gimme money THAT'S WHAT I WANT
a little money THAT'S WHAT I WANT
that's what I want, ye-ye-yeh
that's what I want.
Yeh gimme money THAT'S WHAT I WANT
a little money THAT'S WHAT I WANT
that's what I want THAT'S WHAT I WANT
so gimme money THAT'S WHAT I WANT
that's what I want, ye-ye-yeh
that's what I want.

This song about money by the Flying Lizards is funny, but is too true. In this society, sometimes we think so much about money that we forget to spend it. If we only used the money to better other lives instead of our own, we might be a happier society.

2004-10-27T14:02:00.000-07:00

Today was Nerd day at Omak High School. The stereotype was most definitely glasses with a taped bridge and a ponytail off the side of the head. My costume was the nerds definition of nerd.

The sad thing is, is that there are actually very few nerds left in America. A nerd, by definition is one fanatically or slavishly devoted to the study of knowledge.None like this exist in OHS and very few still exist anywhere. Geek would be the term that most people think of nerd. It's just horrible the way Americans
place so much on higher education, but place so little on a strong elementary and secondary education. If congress approved school vouchers, public schools would be faced with competition and public schools would have to compete for their students and their money. This would make the school system much more efficient and localized. Why can't it happen?

Killer Can of Doom

2004-10-26T16:14:00.000-07:00

The Other day, Karl Schmidt gave me a can without a label. It looked like it was Cesar dog food

With a can, the only way one can tell what it is is if you open it. I mean the can I saw could be anything from sardines to Alpo. So I took it home and opened it up. The contents looked like poop.

Anyway, it reminded of the fact that what we see in people is often hidden by what they pretend to be, or pretend not to be. The saying goes that you can't judge a book by it's cover. The problem is that we do it anyway. We too often judge people by the image that they give us rather than taking the time to experience who they are for ourselves. Pity.
It turned out to be chocolate pudding and was very delicious. Just goes to show you.

Camp

2004-10-25T16:25:00.000-07:00

I love to sing and I love to pray
Worship the Lord most everyday
I go to the temple, and I just want to stay
To hide from the hustle of the world and its ways

And I'd love to live on a mountain top
Fellowshipping with the Lord
I'd love to stand on a mountain top
'Cause I love to feel my spirit soar
But I've got to come down from that mountain top
To the people in the valley below
Or they'll never know that they can go
To the mountain of the Lord

Now, praising the Father is a good thing to do
Worship the Trinity in spirit and truth
But if we worshipped all of the time
There would be no one to lead the blind

Now, I am not saying that worship is wrong
But worship is more than just singing a song
It's all that you say, and everything that you do
It's letting His Spirit live through you

This song by Amy Grant is so true of my experience at Camp Bighorn(www.campbighorn.com

Camp Bighorn is a camp in western Montana that concentrates on adventure based learning. We believe that the best place to convey the gospel is in the "adventure zone". This zone is where man realizes his dependency on God and must rely on God instead of self. In combination with a strong, clean environment that Bighorn provides, this zone is the best possible way to show mans reliance on God and is a prime location for ministry. This zone can be found in many of the activities that Bighorn facilitates, such as Rock Climbing, Hiking, Kayaking, and White-Water Rafting to name a few. Along with a prime location for ministering, Bighorn brings groups closer to together. For example, with family or youth groups, the groups activities provide key opportunities for families to become more solid through storming sessions and challenging tasks. As a result, many youth groups and families return year after year because they recognize that not only did camp strengthen their spiritual walk, but it helped resolve previously unadressed issues that occur in families.

As a Summer Staffer at Bighorn, I was able to experience firsthand the mighty power of our God. Once, during Junior Camp, we had twelve people become saved simply because of the powerful affect that their counselours had on them. This environment proved to change my life as well. I would encourage anybody wishing to attend camp or even staff there to email Program Directors Dave & Judy McPhee (Mcphee@campbighorn.com) or Camp Director Tom Collins (director@campbighorn.com.

Newsboys

2004-10-25T15:45:00.000-07:00

I believe the greatest Christian rock album of all time is Take Me To Your Leader by the Newsboys. With such ever enduring songs like "Take me to your Leader" of "Breakfast", songs of the Christian walk such as "Breathe" and "Let it Go" and the spriritually challenging "Lost the Plot, this album was destined to be timeless. Every one of the 11 tracks speaks to soul in a way that only music can do. The lyrics are beautiful yet intense, funny yet challenging. The group is composed of Peter Furler(lead guitar, vocals), Phil Joel(bass guitars, vocals), Jody Davis(Guitar, Vocals), Jeff Frankenstein(Keyboard, Programmer, Vocals),and Duncan Phillips(Drums, Percussion). The album was released in 1996 on Star Song Records.

Hitchhikers Guide to Whatever the 42 you Want to Learn About

2004-10-12T21:45:00.000-07:00

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams is one of the most Insane, Illogical, Controversial, Completely wacked out and utterly hip booksever written.The key to recognizing a H2G2 fan is a simple three syllable word: 42. Forty-Two, as anyone could tell you is the answer to the Universe. Well what, you say, use is the answer without the question. The use of the answer is life.

There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened.
Douglas Adams
If we knew the question and the answer at the same time, there would be no life. We would be all knowing, etarnal, like God. That cannot be. If the two co-existed in time as we know it, they would cancel each other out and all else, thus eliminating the need for a question anyway. The book follows the life of Arthur Dent as he navigates the unending illogical connectivity of the universe. The series is well known for how out of the ordinary it can be. For example, The Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster is a Terran drink favored in many nightclubs. Unbeknownst to millions, this drink actually originated in Mostly Harmless, the Fifth book in the Trilogy. The instructions for mixing are as follows:

Take the juice from one bottle of that Ol' Janx Spirit.
Pour into it one measure of water from the seas of Santraginus V.
Allow three cubes of Arcturan Mega-gin to melt into the mixture (it must be properly iced or the benzine is lost).
Allow four litres of Fallian marsh gas to bubble through it, in memory of all those happy Hikers who have died of pleasure in the Marshes of Fallia.
Over the back of a silver spoon float a measure of Qualactin Hypermint extract, redolent of all the heady odours of the dark Qualactin Zones, subtle sweet and mystic.
Drop in the tooth of an Algolian Suntiger. Watch it dissolve, spreading the fires of the Algolian Suns deep into the heart of the drink.
Sprinkle Zamphuor.
Add an olive.
Drink ... but ... very carefully ..

The Hitchhikers Guide in the story is a electronic book with the words DON'T PANIC written in large letters over the cover.The book contains knowledge from around the galaxy that actually pertains to life. For example, the entry for earth is as follows: Mostly Harmless. While no actual Hitchhikers Guide exists, I find many online resources especially useful in learning about 42.
For general knowledge(how to choose components, parts, how to file tax returns etc) i find www.about.com a very useful tool.
For research on well known figures try searching with www.teoma.com.
For finding pictures for visual aids try www.ask.com
For a variety of useful tools: www.learningcommons.com
For Christian lyrics/band info: www.ccli.com
For buying outdoor gear try www.backpackgeartest.com
Of course nothing beats consulting your local friendly EnclyclopÆdia Brittanica

Here's the Kickoff!

2004-10-06T10:53:00.001-07:00

Well, Here goes nothing: the first entry in a hopeful series of Journal-like entries(Kelly Beware). I recently reviewed a plan for the New Stampede Arena. It will be crazyness to see how that ends up. Everybody wants something different than somebody else. It's like watching county politics only with more people complaining. Someday, maybe everything will work out good. Here's my Plan. I call it the David Improvement Plan of Action That Will Never Happen. Bulldoze Eastside, Put an Art Gallery/Cultural Musuem/Interperative Center/Historical Museum/ info Center where the info center is now. Turn the baseball fields into one complex. Put a swimming pool in an Dual Community Aquatic Complex. Raise the Stampede arena and install a Central Entrance to the Park. Omprove/Integrate restroom facilities. Build a Permanent stage for musical venues. Build a bike path along dike. Build footbridge for downtown merchants. Rebuild and widen current bridge. Totally Remove Carnival grounds.
See, it would work if everybody was cool with it. it's a good plan and everybody(almost) would be satisfied. If Only.