06/15/08 09:01 - ID#44652

Ten things I like about weddings.

Wow. I have been the king of short and infrequent posts recently. I think it is time for another list of ten.

1. Everybody looks better. (Call me shallow if you want, but its' true)

2. They are emotional events, even for cavemen like me that rarely express strong emotions.

3. They remind me of my own wedding (which was great) and many of my friends.

4. An open bar is always nice.

5. Ditto a nice dinner.

6. Dancing with my bride.

7. Sometimes a wedding means a little bonus for ministers :)

8. Marriage is one of the Bible's most used metaphors for God's relationship to us.

9. Special musical choices, like when Julie walked down the Aisle to "God only knows," by the Beach Boys, or when Rich and Dawn left to "Beautiful day."

10. The way everybody works together to make an awesome day for two people.

Congrats to Rich and Dawn, married yesterday.

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Category: 10 things

05/01/08 07:44 - ID#44212

10 Things I like about the Penguins

1. Mario Lemieux. He saved the team by playing for them, by buying them, and by selling them. Then he decided to help Crosby be the next Lemieux. Back problems couldn't stop him. Neither could cancer. He is the Pens.

2. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on the same power play line.

3. They wear Black and Gold, like every professional Pittsburgh team.

4. The logo: Simple, understated, perfect.

5. George Laraque: Dude can fight, AND play. He's a black hockey player, too, so he's got that going for him.

6. Back in the day, when Jaromir Jagr could hardly speak English, he would read the weather report on WDVE. It was hilarious.

7. They gave Mellon Arena it's appropriate nickname: the igloo. (Actually, I guess this is not approrpiate, since Penguins live near the South Pole, and igloos are found around the North Pole. But it's cool anyway, and the arena kinda looks like an igloo with its white roof.)

8. Student Rush tickets. It's a cheap way for students to get good seats.

9. They have not yet lost a playoff game this year.

10. They are going to win the Stanley cup this year.

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03/18/08 02:52 - ID#43719

Ten things I like about Root Beer

1. It allows kids to "have a beer."

2. It is uniquely American. Most of the world thinks it disgusting, actually.

3. It kept brewers in business during prohibition.

4. It can be made at home.

5. It is flavored by Sassafras. You've got to love a tree that tastes good!

6. It can be delightfully simple, or bold and complex.

7. Froth.

8. Floats.

9. Cool sweetness on a hot day (coming soon, I hope).

10. The taste, duh!

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03/13/08 04:44 - ID#43653

10 Things I like about the West Side

(The West Side west of Richmond, that is)

1. Guercio's market. Good food, good prices, and friendly, too.

2. Lots of good non-profits: West Side Community Collaborative, PUSH, West Side ministries, MAP, Peace of the City, and a few more. (They organized a housing meeting today that I went to--inspiring this post.)

3. Houses that are cheap, or even free.

4. It is diverse. (That causes problems, too, but I like having lots of cultures around)

5. At least 2 good thrift stores (Salvation Army and New to You)

6. Old houses.

7. Italian restaurants.

8. The bargain hardware store.

9. "Essex corners," with good food, Urban roots, art stuff, good drink, and nice places to live.

10. Good people that care about their neighborhood--all over the place.

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03/02/08 09:14 - ID#43527

10 Things I like about u2 in 3D

1. The cast (u2--duh).

2. It's a concert, and just a concert. No interviews, no backstage stuff--just the band onstage and the crowd.

3. The crowd. The film was shot in stadiums, and you constantly feel like you are surrounded by tens of thousands of other fans.

4. The angles. They used a million cameras, placed everywhere. Extra-wide, extra-close, and everything in between.

5. It's in 3D, and pretty realistic 3D at that.

6. The glasses. I like wearing glasses.

7. My company. I went to see the film with new friends and old, estrippers and non-estrippers. And even my dear wife, who doesn't even like u2 that much.

8. The restraint. At first I was a little bit disappointed that they didn't end with "40," but now I am glad they didn't. Some things have to be live.

9. They didn't clean it up too much. Bono wasn't pitch perfect all of the time, but there was no overdub. It's not about being perfect, it's about being real.

10. It felt like I was there. And being at a u2 concert is about as good as it gets.

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02/09/08 08:10 - ID#43261

10 Things I like about my food processor

1. It can slice up more cabbage than a person could ever want to eat.

2. Only two buttons: "On" and "Pulse."

3. Three choices: slicing, shredding, and chopping.

4. The shred disc and the slice disc are the same disc (just flipped over)

5. It seems to be easy to clean.

6. A 10 cup container? no way!

7. Apparently it can even make a pie crust (I'll have to see that to believe it).

8. A low, low price! ($30)

9. So far, nobody has lost a finger.

10. Unlike my deep fryer and tv, it works.

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12/31/07 10:43 - ID#42691

10 Things I like about 2007

1. It's the year I moved to Buffalo, bought a house, and started at Lafayette church.

2. It's the year I got to visit Vietnam.

3. I discovered Derek Webb in 2007.

4. Our country didn't start ANOTHER war in 2007 (I think I can safely say this with 14 hours left).

5. I discovered estrip in 2007 (and some other fun online stuff--wordpress, google docs, attack!, but estrip is the favorite).

6. One of my brothers started college, another finished (and even got a job!).

7. 2007 was the first year of Steelers head coach mike Tomlin.

8. 2007 was the last year of my Grandma's life (I don't like that she died, but I like the WAY she died--very thoughtfully, prayerfully, and peacefully.)

9. Marriage with (e:janelle) continues to get better (2007 is the third year in).

10. The Pittsburgh Pirates changed all of their front office staff (this may or may not lead to improvement, but they could not have done worse).

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Category: 10 things

12/18/07 11:50 - ID#42576

Ten Things I like about Attack!

1. It's Risk, online (as a facebook app).

2. It's slightly different than Risk, to avoid a lawsuit.

3. But it plays just the same as Risk, only faster.

4. There is a little chat box to make alliances.

5. There is a chat box to talk trash.

6. It fills my desire to take over the world, without me actually having to take over the world.

7. I can take vigilante justice, and when I know that I am not going to win, take the player I feel to be the most deserving down with me.

8. I don't have to count out/move around those tiny little plastic pieces.

9. Its fun to watch losing players desperately seek alliances, as I take them out.

10. Wars on Attack don't cost anything except time.

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12/11/07 05:19 - ID#42476

10 Things I like about u2.

1. The edge's guitar playing. Effects heavy, rhythmically, and with simple, but beautiful melodies.

2. Bono's lyrics. Many are simulataneously personal, political, and religious.

3. The way every album sounds different with every album, but consistent with itself, and always distinctively u2.

4. Their generosity/activism that goes beyond just about any rock star, all while they still admit to being hypocritical.

5. They've been friends/band mates since high school. For at least 3 of them, this is their first job.

6. They're not just from Ireland, they are from Dublin. They're not just from Dublin, they are from cool neighborhood in Dublin.

7. They were on the Simpsons, and made fun of themselves.

8. Amazingly big live shows that feel amazingly intimate, and surprisingly like church (the way it should feel).

9. I can play (scaled down) versions of their songs on guitar, and even with my weak skills, they sound good.

10. I've never met a u2 fan I didn't like--and there are millions of us.

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12/07/07 09:05 - ID#42423

10 Things I like about Hines Ward

1. He always smiles when he plays football. Even when its hard. He loves football that much.

2. As of this Sunday, he has caught more touchdowns than anybody else.

3. He's bi-racial (black and Korean) and proud of it. This has made a HUGE difference in Korea, where anybody that wasn't 100% Korean was outcaste.

4. He loves to block. Wide receivers are typically smaller, and avoid contact, but Hines seeks it out. He enrages/embarrasses bigger defensive players by putting a hurt on them.

5. He plays through pain (again, still smiling)

6. He plays well in bad weather (see the last two games)

7. He can throw (he was a QB before he became a wideout).

8. He doesn't complain about being on the run-heavy Steelers (it gives him more chances to block!).

9. He's generous in Korea, Georgia, and Pittsburgh.

10. He's going to be instrumental in the Steelers defeat of New England.