This one won’t mean anything to you unless you go to Hayes Barton United Methodist Church, or have been to Camp Seafarer, but it’s a good slideshow.  I’m particularly pleased with the music choices – they really work for what is essentially an ad for Family Camp.

Apparently, a gentleman, disgusted by having to wait because of a suicide jumper on a local bridge, decided to be a problem solver, and pushed said jumper off said bridge. The link and pictures follow:

Distraught man on the edge is given an unhelping hand – Los Angeles Times

The pilot was a little flawed, but there is a lot of potential here.  It’s Election, High School Musical, Breakfast Club, and about 15 other movies rolled into one, but the cast is very likable, and the vocal talent is pretty impressive. There are cliches and stereotypes galore, but I can be a sucker for that kind of stuff sometimes.

Oh yeah, the female lead makes the oddly hot category as well.  As a 42 year old guy, I’m certainly not their target demographic, but I was intrigued.

The addition of Kristen Chenoweth and Victor Garber (as has been announced) when it starts in the fall could really put it through the roof.

This is a wonderful perspective on the Susan Boyle phenomenon (one that I’m not entirely on board on):

The way we see Susan Boyle is very nearly the way God sees us: worthwhile, special, talented, unique, beautiful.  The world generally looks askance at people like Susan Boyle, if it sees them at all.  Without classic good looks, without work, without a spouse, living in a small town, people like Susan Boyle may not seem particularly ”important.”  But God sees the real person, and understands the value of each individual’s gifts: rich or poor, young or old, single or married, matron or movie star, lucky or unlucky in life.  God knows us.  And loves us.

“Everybody is somebody” said Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan at his installation Mass in New York City yesterday.  That’s another reason why the judges smile and the audience explodes in applause.

Because they recognized a basic truth planted deep within them by God: Susan Boyle is somebody.

Everybody is somebody.

The author is James Martin, SJ in America: The National Catholic Monthly

The family and I have been in Disney World for the past 5 days, and we have had a spectacularly wonderful time.  I’m not sure anyone does it better than the Mouse.  Anne mentioned “Disney Freaks” last night – those folks who come down here every year.  I don’t think she realized she was talking to one.

That being said, this trip is for my youngest son, Jay.  We were here 4 years ago, and his older brothers have great memories of that trip.  Jay doesn’t have any memories of that trip.

So this trip is about him.

Our first day here was spent in the Magic Kingdom.  “It’s a Small World” gets a bad rap in my book.  Sure the song can be irritating, but riding it with Jay, and seeing it through his innocent eyes, however, restored my faith in the ride and warmed my heart.  This may be the highlight of the trip that will be remembered for the coming years.

Yesterday, we were in the Animal Kingdom, which is our favorite of the four parks. We had enjoyed everything in the park (including riding Expedition Everest twice – a spectacular roller coaster) when it came time to confront “Dinosaur”.

We rode this ride four years ago, and it scared Scott (at that time, the same age as Jay is now) to tears.  He was hesitant, but rode it this time.  The issue we had to confront was Jay.  We had talked with him about the ride, and had explained to him that it was scary, and told him about everything in the ride – we tried to talk him out of riding.

The problem was, his big brothers and cousins were riding the ride.  I cannot imagine the pressure this 6 year old feels to be “one of the guys” – older and wiser than his short life should enable him to be.  We rode the ride – he was sitting beside me, and I was holding his hand, trying to warn him of what was to come.

As the lights came up, I saw him very quickly wipe his eyes dry, and proclaim the ride “AWESOME”!  The poor kid wouldn’t allow himself to cry.

His dad sure wanted to.

Dear Friends and Family,

The Rogers Family reached our 1 year anniversary with Type 1 Diabetes in March.  Anne took Scott to lunch and they made a list of all the words new in our vocabulary:  insulin, Humalog, Lantus, basal, bolus, correction factor, highs, low, carb ratio, glucagon and the list goes on.

We’ve learned that if we have pizza or spaghetti for dinner, it sends Scott’s blood sugar over 350 around 3:00am.  We’ve learned that if he eats a meal full of carbs made of fruit and vegetables, he needs much less insulin for the same amount of carbohydrate made of starches because he’s usually “low” when I go to bed at 11:00.  He gets a juice box and a few goldfish in his sleep.  I’m surprised we don’t have any cavities yet.

We’ve made huge strides this year and we continue to grow in our knowledge and management.  He went on the OmniPod insulin delivery system last October.  (It is the same one Nick Jonas has!)   Scott has been a much happier child since then.  He wears a “pod” on his body all the time.  It is about the size of ½ an egg and a canula is inserted into his skin, delivering insulin 24 hrs a day/7 days a week.  We have to change the pod every 3 days although he’s been known to lose one occasionally during wrestling matches with his brothers or soccer at recess.

When Scott was diagnosed, we, as a family, decided that we would make diabetes a part of our lives, but it would not BE our life.  We work hard to help him have a normal childhood and not be overly protective, but sometimes it’s not that easy.  He went to the movies with his friends and he was supposed to call and let us know how much popcorn he was eating, to decide insulin amounts.  He didn’t call.  When he returned home his blood sugar was over 500 taking several hours to bring it down to a safe level.  How do you get mad at a kid for just being a kid?

Type 1 diabetes strikes without any warning.  It has NOTHING to do with the child’s diet: he didn’t eat junk food all of the time and he’s not overweight.  It does, however, change their lives forever.  He will never again eat a piece of food without thinking about how many carbohydrates are in it.  He will never again play soccer without the fear of having a “low” during the game.  We will never be able to sleep thru the night without worrying that his blood sugar might drop too low.  He will never again go one day without pricking his finger at least 8 times (normally its 10-12).

We also decided as a family that we would support the JDRF in any way and their efforts.  They are the largest contributor of money to Type 1 Diabetes research in the world, giving over $1.16 billion since their creation.  The JDRF was started in 1970 by parents who believed in a cure for diabetes, just as we do.  Won’t you please give as generously as you are able to the JDRF.  They are working on finding a cure for Scott and millions of other children like him.

That commitment to support means that we will be participating in the Walk to Cure Diabetes Saturday, November 1^st at the Nortel Campus in Research Triangle Park.   Please help us support the JDRF by visiting http://jdrf.jrr4.com (which redirects you to the JDRF website) and donating to our team or joining us on the walk. Any amount, no matter how small, is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for any support you can provide.

Anne & Jimmy Rogers, Scott, Brad & Jay

I’m about 75% decided as to who I’m voting for in the upcoming presidential election.  I’m hoping that there will be some substance discussed in the debates to help me over my indecision.

One of the things that has bothered me this election is what has happened to John McCain.  I used to think he was the greatest – a moderate Republican who went against the stream of party thought when he disagreed, and would reach “across the aisle” when reforms were necessary.  I’ve seen none of that in this campaign, and I just couldn’t put my finger on it.

Thank goodness for The Daily Show.  Sadly, I present what should be a commercial for Barack Obama’s presidency.

It’s hysterical, and sad all at once.  Who’s the real John McCain?

and it’s not the one that involved throwing the jeep into reverse and getting out of the way.

Scott and I were involved in a head on collision yesterday.  Fortunately, thanks to airbags, and my theory of “yield to tonnage”, which is the lighter object should always yield to the heavier one, no one was seriously hurt.

I saw it coming.

I knew it was going to be bad.

My reaction, instead of getting right with my Lord and Saviour this one last time (my backup plan – covering my bases)?

“OH, SHIT!”

Not “Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive me of my sins, and should I die from this, accept me into your heavenly kingdom.  I’ve tried hard to obey you, to love you, and to live by your Son’s teachings, but just in case we’re not quite right…”

Too many words for those milliseconds when the white Scion, traveling west on Perry Creek Road at Soccer Center, clipped the teenager using the “ For Entrance Only” as an exit, and came speeding at my jeep, which was quietly awaiting its opportunity to turn into WRAL Soccer Center.

Rather than dwell on the Christian learning experience that this should lead to, I’d rather propose something else.

I’d like to see the phrase “Oh, Shit!” come to mean the very same thing as my prayer above.

It’s shorter.

It’s much easier to say.

It would then cover all the bases.

Call me St. Jimmy.

As first reported in David Menconi’s blog at newsobserver.com, Comboland Radio is live on Live365.com.  In the last 30 minutes or so, I’ve heard Arrogance, PKM, Glass Moon, Brice Street, Mothers Finest, Connells and Mitch Easter.  If you grew up in Raleigh, you must revisit your roots.  I’m loving this – subscribed to Live365.com (you do not have to to listen) and loaded the mobile version on my phone.  I’m hooked.

From the website:

Comboland… this catchy moniker was coined by Godfrey Cheshire in 1985 for a project he and Bernie Reeves were developing at “The Spectator”, a weekly entertainment magazine in Raleigh, NC. The idea was to expose to the rest of the world the many great artists and bands that made up the “North Carolina Music Scene”. 27 bands/artists submitted 48 songs for the project. These tapes were shopped to record companies and found some success in England. A BBC special was filmed and a single compilation album was released on Making Waves records. A couple of the bands secured deals of their own thanks to this exposure. The others either toiled on or broke up. In the process some wonderful music was made. Beginning in the early 70’s the “Comboland” era sort of ended in the early 90’s but great music kept coming out of the region. Today the number of artists/bands making music in Comboland is remarkable! I know I don’t have them all represented here…yet! While Comboland Radio features quite a bit of the older tunes we feature plenty of the recent releases too. Hopefully this new outlet will expose the great new music coming out of Comboland. Comboland lives on!

For Foodies, the wife and I don’t get out much.  When dining with the family, we lean to the inexpensive, family friendly:

• Armadillo Grill
• Jason’s Deli
• Five Guys
• Chick Fil A
• Jersey Mike’s
• Los Tres Vaqueros
• King’s Wok
• Sweet Tomatoes
• Amante Pizza
• Casalinga – not inexpensive, but the best Italian in town.

Wow, that list depresses me, but when you’re feeding 5, including a 12 year old that eats like he’s 16, it really needs to be inexpensive.

We generally try and stay away from “corporate” eating, despite the list above being more chain than small local.  The Rogers family will never darken the door of a Red Lobster or Olive Garden.  EVER.  Not as long as there is a Kemp’s Seafood or any small mom and pop Italian restaurant.

This past weekend, however, clearly shows the paradox being a food snob can present.  Friday night, we made a return to the Magnolia Grill for the wife’s birthday.  I will not do a repeat of that magnificent review from last year’s visit, but suffice it to say that it was a wonderful sacrifice to the culinary gods.  We need to solve the world hunger problem, and then we must figure out how to replace those round, red things in the grocery store with heirloom tomatoes.  Oh my lord!

Then there was our Sunday road trip.  When on the road to anywhere but the beach, we will eat at Cracker Barrel, a clear exception to our chain, corporate restaurant embargo.  I do despise the fact that there is as much gift shop as there is restaurant, but the food isn’t bad.  It’s actually pretty good.  It’s somewhat reassuring that within 5 exits on any interstate, there will be somewhere we can sit down and have a decent “meat and two”.  The Cracker Barrel has found a niche in that it is impossible to know of a mom and pop hole in the wall restaurant everywhere, and that’s why, when going to the beach, we only eat at Wilbur’s, McCalls, and the Meadow Village Restaurant – not Cracker Barrel.

We visited the depths of hell, however, Sunday night for dinner.  This trip was to take the oldest to Camp Cheerio Extreme (“Just 30 minutes past the middle of nowhere!”).  For the 2nd year, we’ve let our middle child choose where we ate dinner, and both years we’ve ended up at Streets of Southpoint, or the home of the corporate restaurant.  Last year it was Maggianos, but their fried cheese was “weird”, so it didn’t make the cut.  He chose the Cheesecake Factory.

What a god-awful attempt at mediocrity.  Their website claims “something for everyone”, which is the whole problem.  The 15-20 page menu has mexican, italian, american, chinese, and thai food.  PICK SOMETHING AND TRY AND DO IT WELL, instead of everything with mediocrity.

I would have been happier if the fish tacos had been bad, but they weren’t.  They were completely tasteless, even when covered in guacamole and salsa. Salt and Pepper didn’t help.  There was no saving them.

Of course, the place was packed the whole time we were there.  At least the cheesecake was good.

While it’s still worth your hard earned $3.99, you can see it for free again, via my favorite Internet TV site Hulu

If you want to watch it the way it was originally released, you can break it up into the 3 acts:

Act One:

Act Two:

Act Three:

and spend $3.99 on Itunes to buy "Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog".  It was free last week at their website, but I bought it after the first "Act".

It’s silly, absurd, cheesy, and beautifully fantastic.  Neil Patrick Harris has a really great voice, and his ability to just look at the camera and express a myriad of emotions is nothing short of amazing.  I think they call it "ACTING"!

Nathan Fillion is perfectly over the top cheesy as our "hero" Captain Hammer.

This show has more heart, humor and talent in in than anything on TV right now.

The idea for this came the other day when I left my XM Radio at the office and pulled out my Disney CD.  Yes, I have a Disney CD.  Let’s move past that.

I’m new to the brother dynamic.  I’ve got 3 sisters, and my father is an only child, so I have never experienced the closeness of brothers until my own sons.  Nothing seems more appropriate…

I defy you to find anything more charming than the following:

This is the best show on TV. The “confessional” at the end gives goosebumps, and you cannot help but cheer a little bit.

I’m kinda funny.

I can kinda sing.  This has come as part of my mid-life crisis – until 6 years ago, the only singing I did was to the radio in the car.  Then came Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Children of Eden, a couple of solos in church, and the time since in the Tenor corps of the church choir.  I’ve had a blast…

Stephen Colbert is extremely funny, and based on this clip, can sing too.  The very idea of singing with John Legend is intimidating at best, and Colbert holds his own to create something amazing.

Extremely Funny, and can really sing.  I think I hate him.

A good friend of mine is a high school teacher, and he and his wife have recently blogged about their experiences chaperoning the Prom.  It took me back to one of my Prom experiences.

I was asked to escort a young lady to the St. Mary’s Prom “back in the day” – we were friends from church, and she needed a date. I, being the young stud that I was, was certainly willing to oblige.

Back then, I did a pretty good job of transcending the cliques.  I could run with the nerds and the cool kids equally well.  I’ve never been much of a partier (not that I have ever had any problem with it at all, but it’s the rare occasion that I have more than one beer, even to this day), but I was usually handy to have around to transport the rowdier folks

We went in the front door of the Prom, had our picture made, and went out the back door, to the parties. We dined at the City of Oaks Diner (R.I.P.), and settled in at the Ramada Crabtree. Once there, I departed hastily, as my “date” had accomplished her end goal, and no longer had any need for me. I felt so used.  I would have been happier at the prom. Confident that she was with friends, I went home.

The next morning, everyone in the family had gone to church, and I was awakened by the phone ringing.

“Mr. Rogers, this is Officer Smith of the Raleigh Police Department, and we need to inquire as to the whereabouts of your date of last evening.” I explained that I had left her with her friends at the Ramada. The officer asked me to come down to the Ramada, where he was, so I could “answer a few questions”. I hung up the phone, rushed to get dressed, and the phone rang again – it was Mom, calling from church to make sure I was awake.  I gave her the details and she asked if I needed her to meet me at the Ramada.  I indicated no, hung up, and the phone rang almost immediately.  It was my date of evening last.  She was at the Ramada, and had fessed up to everything.

Turns out, she had told St. Mary’s staff that she was spending the night at home, and she told home that she was staying in her dorm room on campus. Someone had caught wind of this and called the police (she was a little rowdy).

By this time, my mom was walking into the Ramada.  I climbed back into bed.

I was the only good guy in the whole transaction. Shoulda just stayed at the prom.

I was sitting at my desk, the neon “O T E L” sign flashing like a bug zapper on a hot summer night when the phone rang.

It was a dame, and she was bent out of shape like an old paperclip.

“Johnny, I’ve got a big problem on my hands.”  Not knowing who Johnny was, I listened intently. “Anyway Johnny, I’ve gotten mixed up in a dangerous world, and I’m worried”

Guns? Imports/Exports? Murder?

“No worse, Johnny, much worse – Politics”

I took a shot, and poured myself another.

“I’m running for President, and I’ve gotten myself into quite a mess.  Seems I misspoke, and they had video, and Johnny, I just don’t know what to do.”

I was on my last handkerchief, and I wasn’t gonna waste it on this blubbering dame.  Time for another shot.

“Johnny, I need you to find me some snipers.  I’ve got campaign stops all this week – surely you can do something for me?  Firecrackers, then?  Please?  I’m desperate, Johnny.  I owe my supporters some snipers.”

I told the dame to hit the bricks as I poured my last shot of the morning – murder’s not my game.  Not today anyway, and not for this broad.  It was time for lunch.

…cause if you can’t be funny, why not link to stuff that is…

Saturday Night Live was not spectacular, but it did have some solid highlights, from Tina Fey (across the board – nearly everything she did was funny) to Mike Huckabee on Weekend Update.  Sadly, Adam Samberg’s Digital Short was not that funny – it fell into the “Cats with Lasers” category.  This was the highlight, though:

(This is from hulu.com – the Fox/NBC site that shows what a TV “new media” website should be.  I’ve got some invites to the private beta if you email me.)

Also, after the Oscars (Jon Stewart – great, most everything else blech), Jimmy Kimmel posted his response to the viral video from a few months ago by Sarah Silverman. It is here, with a recap of the first video:

And just for good measure, the original Sarah Silverman video:

It’s your senior correspondent.

(That’s me after Scott’s run…)

Because we’re cool parents, we surprised the kids with a trip to the Great Wolf lodge in Williamsburg, VA, land of a pancake house on every corner in honor of our great presidents Washington and Lincoln.

Let me preface by saying that I am a kid at heart.  I love Disney, and I love the things that my children have reintroduced me to.

The Great Wolf Lodge is amazing.  The hotel room we are in is as nice as we’ve stayed in as a family, and the water park is a blast – an exhausting, crowded blast.

All in all, I can recommend the experience, if you’re willing to part with some serious coin.

That said, there’s a lot to hate here.  The check-in process is a disaster, with rooms available “as they are ready”.  Sure, check in time is 4:00 p.m., but if your room is not ready, well, you’re welcome to hit the water park.  We’ll be glad to rent you a locker for $5.00 for the stuff you can’t put in your room you can’t have, because we’re not ready.

The dining here leaves much to be desired.  They have a somewhat captive audience, with hopping in the car straight from the water park to get some dinner inconvenient at best.  That leaves the buffet restaurant or the Pizza Hut take out.

In the evolutionary chain of restaurant servers and cooks, the starting point is here.  We were warned, but convenience dictated that dinner last night and breakfast this morning was done here at the hotel.  Bad food and worse service.

UPDATE! – I’ve had some time and distance to rethink things.  What bothered me so much about the Great Wolf Lodge was that it wasn’t Disney.  I love the ways that Disney tries to take money from me – there is a cleverness and an element of appreciation that I get from Disney that the Great Wolf Lodge lacks.  It seems that they have you captive, and therefore it doesn’t matter that the food is average at best, and the wait staff service is perhaps the worst I’ve ever seen.  In a buffet restaurant, your job is to get me a drink, make sure it stays close to full, and bring me the check when I’m done.  When you cannot do this, you don’t care. 

The Failure To Be Disney is magnified in the Country Bear Jamboree wannabe show in the lobby, where the tree, squirrel, and bear sing a song that is a very clear rip off of Circle of Life from the Lion King.  I wanted to wear cinderblocks into the wave pool.

The bottom line is this:

Room – A+
Waterpark – A+
Everything else – BLECH!

Go, take your wallet and outside food, and you’ll have a great time.

Aretha Franklin at the 2008 Grammy Awards

Sea Witch Ursula from The Little Mermaid.

I bet you’ll never see them in the same room together.

R.E.M.

REM’s new one. – MP3 Music Streams on IMEEM

I can’t remember when I was excited about an R.E.M. album.  The last few albums have left me cold, and based on the song above, you can understand the lyrics!

U23D

Last weekend the whole family went to the Imax at Playoris/Exspace/Marblemax facility to see the latest experience of U2’s excess.

I like U2.  I have most of their albums in my collection, leaning heavily to the older stuff.  I have very mild issues with Bono and his self proclaimed messianic complex, but certainly not enough to bother me. Unfortunately, after seeing U23D, he may be right in his proclamation of divinity.

My experience with live U2 sadly is limited to video, but that may be the best way to see them.  I cannot imagine that their power translates to the back row of your local stadium – I could be wrong.  Their set from the original Live Aid is hypnotizing, and the Red Rocks video may rank as one of the greatest concert videos that I have ever seen.  

In U23D, their performance is AMAZING, and the 3-D effect is there only to enhance the experience.  There is one moment, where the audience is sprayed with water, that I nearly reached to dry off.  This was not some cheesy Disney effect, it was just that immersive.  The only time there is anything digitally added to the film for 3-D effect is near the end of the movie, when the letters and words being shown on the giant screens behind the band leave the screens and blanket you in their message.  Totally unobtrusive in execution.

The Fat Boy Movie Review gives it 5 stars!

We may be a little late to the party, but we’re hooked on Guitar Hero III.  Mom is actually the best player in the house, but our youngest has, all of a sudden, acquired some mad skills.  The video is unedited, so it’s pretty much the same thing (in other words, there’s no real payoff – he got booed off at 85%, but I’m pretty impressed), but this kid was getting boo-ed off the stage just a few days ago….

I had intended to include this one since I started this little retrospective, but when Stereogum brought this “The BBC Put The **** And ****** Back In Christmas” to my attention, I found my “hook”.

It’s funny how certain songs and artists have escaped my attention over the years, and the Pogues are one that I would have totally been into “back in the day”.  Celtic Punk. ‘Nuff said.

I first heard this song last Christmas season on the Ron & Fez Show on XM Radio.  They start every show with an amazing song – the producers almost always pick something that is either a favorite, or something that I haven’t heard, but really like. Our tastes are remarkably similar.

My problem was, as subject matter goes, this song is only slightly more appropriate for Christmas as “I Believe In Father Christmas” by Greg Lake, a song that I used to like simply for it’s pomposity (is that even a word?) – but the lyrics  ruin the song:  “..The Christmas We Get We Deserve…”  As someone who tends to be cynical, that song is just too much. 

This one, however is not much better.  From Wikipedia:

The song takes the form of a drunken man’s Christmas Eve reverie about holidays past while sleeping off a binge in a New York City drunk tank. After an inebriated old man also incarcerated in the jail cell sings a passage from the Irish drinking ballad The Rare Old Mountain Dew, the drunken man (MacGowan) begins to dream about a failed relationship. The remainder of the song (which may be an internal monologue) takes the form of a call and response between two Irish immigrants, lovers or ex-lovers, their youthful hopes crushed by alcoholism and drug addiction, reminiscing and bickering on Christmas Eve in New York City. MacColl’s melodious singing contrasts with the harsh sound of MacGowan’s voice and the lyrics are sometimes bittersweet, sometimes plain bitter: “Happy Christmas your arse/ I pray God it’s our last”.

That being said, I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS SONG.  And yes, that is Matt Dillon as the cop in the video.  Without further adieu – the Fairytale of New York:

I stumbled across this song a couple of years ago, I think from the USA Today blog Pop Candy. It is by a band out of New Jersey called Spiraling, and their combination of a rock and roll classic with a Christmas classic is amazing. The opening is a little “sweet”, but stick with it – I guarantee it will generate a “NO WAY!!!”  It really works.

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From my favorite Christmas album “When My Heart Finds Christmas” by Harry Connick, Jr. I’d love to sing this at church with a bunch of guys. Maybe next years Christmas CD…

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I love Christmas Music.  Since I joined the choir at church several years ago, I’ve really been enjoying the Classical Christmas channel on XM 106 and Directv Channel 866.

But That’s not what this is about.  I love a lot of different types of Christmas music, and some of my favorites are sort of odd or obscure.

This one comes from last years Christmas episode of Studio Sixty on the Sunset Strip (a show that deserved better – Aaron Sorkin can do no wrong when he is on his game).  It is by the the Tipitina’s Foundation, a group whose mission is to restore Louisina’s music community.

The runs at the end are just glorious.

Check back between now and Christmas for other “favorites” of mine.  Hopefully, there’ll be stuff you’ve never heard, or an old favorite.

I had a dream last night.

I was on “Grey’s Anatomy” and it was my turn to sleep with Izzie.

While the details have been lost to dreamland, I do seem to remember that I was magnificent.