reyes-chow :: FAITH

I watch AI and I don't care what you think ;-)

Okay, so many of you know that I am big American Idol fan.  Without trying to defend myself from the mocking that has been and will continue to be launched my way by those who drink haterade for fun, here are my picks for this year based on nothing more than, "I like them."

I KNOW there are more out there who also watch the AI. 
Out yourselves if you dare.

For the men // David Cook

For the Women // Ramiele Malubay

Watch out for // Carly Smithson


Sorry she is gone // Kady Malloy

Glad he is gone // Danny Noriega


My all-time fav American Idol // Ruben Studdard

Call me Loretta

Today , I am taking my three daughters out of school for a "Mental Health Day" but before I sign off for the day and head off to the San Francisco Zoo and to see The Bee Movie, I leave you with these little tidbits.  I dare you not to giggle, just a little.

Have a great Friday!

Friday randomocities

Had coffee with a local pastor today and really connected.  We ended up talking for about two hours about ministry, life, etc.   Presbyterians and Baptists CAN get along ;-)

Saw this person wearing Daisy Dukes today.  Yes cut so short you could see the liner of the front pocket.  REALLY?  Please Lord, do not let these be coming back.  My legs are not that nice . . . now get THAT image your of your head ;-)

Got my eMail inbox below 15 for a few moments today.  Dare I shoot for  single digits?  Ahh the exciting life of a cafe Bedouin.

Puppets in church scare me.

IM is awesome.

Texting is too slow.

I am excited about church.

I am getting old.

God lives in San Francisco and visits other places because of obligation ;-)

There is a group of people outside the cafe with a big sign that says, "Haiku Hut" on it.

Not all emergents are uptight, in fact if you are uptight . . . .

Still love my A's, injuries suck.

Context, my friend, context.

Important cause, The New Sanctuary Movement, check it out.

Have a great weekend!

Brain Candy 17: Wasting more "Work" time on FB

Friday is my "Day-off" from church work . . . . or so it keeps saying on my calendar.  Not today.  Now I am not complaining as I love the flexibility of the schedule, but sometimes it is nice to have a full 24 hours without something work related no matter how much one may loves the ministry . . . just saying.

But I press on, because Jesus wants me to.

But . . . part of my day off is going to going CRAZY with MBCC'ers on Facebook.  So be warned if you are part of the MBCC Facebook Group, you are fair game for sheep to be thrown your way, superlatives to be given to, drinks to be bought for . . . yada yada yada.  Think of this as my "Pastoral Care" challenge to play just a tad this day!

After my first coffee talk of the day, be warned . . . It is on.

PS: If you are still holding out on the whole FB thing, cool.  Still, if you do want to enter the FB waters, I'll be your friend for the low low price of one Schrute Buck.

PPS: For one day only, I will accept any and all invitations to add apps, causes, etc . . . well maybe not ANY.

Brain Candy 16: Top 10 Facebook Applications

BRAIN CANDY // Where pop, tech, culture and who knows what else converge . . . all filtered by yours truly.  A waste of time?  The pulse of contemporary culture? Plugged in beyond all geekdom? Nope, just a weekly rant and reflection about the sites and sounds that have stimulated my brain for good or bad, and now regurgitated for your reading pleasure.

THIS WEEK // My Top 10 Facebook Applications
Okay . . . so clearly I am pro-Facebook.  Not "Tattoo it on my backside" pro-facebook, but I like it.  I know many of you are sick and tired of hearing about "Facebook this . . ."and "Facebook that . . ."  Sorry that people can be so obnoxious, I try not to be be one of those.   But if you still don't get it, sue me, because I LOVE Facebook even with all the elistist-ness that is has to offer ;-)  It is where many of my friends are.  MySpace may be more grassroots, but way too busy for my tastes and since I am not big into indie music, or meeting "a nice college girl who want to be friends and has pictures to share" it's FB for me.  Plus there are way more old people here on FB.

So here are my Top 10 Applications in no particular order and based on nothing more than I LIKE THEM.

Causes - Because geeks care too.

Friend Wheel - Because it is very cool to see how connected one's network is . . . or isolated as the case may be.

Superlatives - Because if the community says you are most likely to Be a Badass for Life . . .

ZuPort - Because Flickr also ROCKS!

My Questions - Because inquiring minds want to know.

Happy Hour - Who doesn't want to be able to send their pastor a Jager Bomb.

The Compass - Just in case you forget what you think.

Flixter NEMQ - Because there is a lot of movie crap stored in that brain of yours.

Superpoke - Because everyone needs a cow thrown at them at least once.

And finally . . . the only one that I will grovel for . . .

Schrute Bucks - Because this was one of the funniest Office episodes EVER.

So there you have it!  Hope every one is having a grand FB day.  And if you have not friended me, please feel free RIGHT HERE, but it will cost you a Schrute Buck.

MYSTERY LINK // Click at Your Own RiskNo words to influence your thoughts on this weekly link. Might be very cool or very scary, you make the call! [CLICK HERE]

Brain Candy 15: Oooooo shiny

Brain Candy // Where pop, tech, culture and who knows what else converge . . . all filtered by yours truly.  A waste of time?  The pulse of contemporary culture? Plugged in beyond all geekdom? Nope, just a weekly rant and reflection about the sites and sounds that have stimulated my brain for good or bad, and now regurgitated for your reading pleasure.

THIS WEEK // A few splurges necessities in name of justice!

Now many of you know that I have a few weaknesses . . . yeah, just a few.  Tech stuff for sure, but also I am the one with the shoes, bags and hair product.  You would think I was a lot cooler.  We are all about breaking stereotypes, so it REALLY is a sacrifice that I make in the name of justice and breaking down the images  and expectation that are heaped upon so many women.  Micah would be proud ;-)  In any case, here are three such pick-ups this week.

Jonathan "Silky Dirt" - because regular dirt was just not enough.

New Venturini Shoes - because every urban hipster needs nice brown leather shoes.

Chrome Hip Bone Bag AKA My Man Bag

MYSTERY LINK // Click at Your Own Risk
No words to influence your thoughts on this weekly link. Might be very cool or very scary, you make the call! [CLICK HERE]

Brain Candy 13: Widgets and Apps for your blog

New Post Title format, same useless drivel for your reading and wasting time pleasure. Yes, this is where pop, tech, culture and who knows what else collide . . . all filtered by yours truly.  A waste of time?  The pulse of contemporary culture? Plugged in beyond all geekdom? Nope, just a weekly rant and reflection about the sites and sounds that have stimulated my brain for good or bad, and now regurgitated for your reading pleasure.

THIS WEEK: Five Widgets/Apps to Waste Your Time

Mashable
Why have I JUST discovered this?  I have subscribed to the RSS feed for a while, but never bothered becoming a user.  So if you don't know this one, it basically gathers all of your social networks in one place.  So while we wait for Google's version, this is pretty much the best one.  Still figuring out all the ins and outs, so if you are part of it, lets be friends here as well. [BRC on Mashable]

MineKey [h/t: Webware]
This is cool.  I sometime look at peoples blogrolls, but with folks that I read regularly, all that static content gets glossed over.  But, MineKey allows you to add a widget that targets your reader interests from blogs that you choose.  So it is kind of a combo blogroll and aggregator where you determine the content.  I have inclduded most of the blogs that I read, but if you want to be included, just leave a comment here.  Not everyone is interested in getting more traffic, so just let me know and I'll add you.  Also, if you check your stats, let me know if you seem to get more clicks from my blog.

Doodle Polls [h/t: the Corner]
I am sure no one has ever had a hard time trying to find a time that works for multiple people.  Everyone with their laptops or planners out and then there is that one guy, usually me, that always says, I'll have to check when I get home."  Jerko.  Problem solved with Doodle.  This site lets you set up a poll where folks can simple choose all the times that they can make it.  Easy to set up, easy to use and can do more than just take info about meeting times.  I have set up an test calendar time for those who are coming out for the 218th General Assembly - Presbyterian Church (USA) biennial national gathering - in San Jose.  Who knows if we get enough people, maybe we can get together?  Even if you are not going to be there, try it out on Lets Get Together @ GA.

FLIVA [h/t: Mashable]
Fliva is a widget that allows for you to answer questions and let folks know about you.  Users can also ask you questions.  Besides a new spin on a personal info widget, the interface is very cool and smooth.  Quick registration.

MyHeritage Celebrity Look-Alike [h/t: Introvert]
This is too funny.  I think I can live with Robert Downey Jr. and Jesse Martin, but Sean Lennon has got to go. I was us worried that I would be matched up with every Asian Celeb in the database.   Beware the celebrities you get matched up with depend greatly on the picture you give.

MYSTERY LINK // Click at Your Own Risk
No words to influence your thoughts on this weekly link. Might be very cool or very scary, you make the call!   [CLICK HERE]

The Deathly Hallows, no spoiler here, maybe

I just finished Harry Potter and have not yet experienced any PPD (Post-Potter Depression) as I was fully satisfied with the book and the ending.

My favorite part of The Deathly Hallows was . . .
The climactic battle where Sunshine Bear and Strawberry Shortcake teamed up with the Three 6 Mafia and Dumbledore - who had been awakened by the kiss of Prince Charming - to battle the Smurfs who choose to side with Lord Voldemort and the entire gang of Hannah Barbara Characters.  Yosemite Sam kicked some serious A, BTW.  It did get a little over the top when we found out that the leak to the Daily Prophet about Neville's secret identity as a Chinese warrior who was really a woman pretending to be a man was Hagrid, but he only did so because he thought Hermione ordered him to.  In the end it didn't matter because Hagrid's sentence was commuted and Hermione was never brought up on charges.  Now THAT is just silly.

Gosh . . . did I say too much?

For those that REALLY do need to wean your way off of HP here are a few blogs/sites to keep you going for years.

• veritaserum.com
• mugglenet.com
• harrypotterfanzone.com

And  if you want to look a little more theologically about HP and crew Abstractions has a great post, Harry Potter and Christian Allegory with some great analysis and if you care, the Pope is not down with the HP.

Brain Candy for the Soul: Episode 12

EPISODE XII - What the?!?!?!?  Yes, pop culture filtered by yours truly.  A waste of time?  The pulse of contemporary culture? Nope, just weekly rant and reflection about the sites and sounds that have stimulated my brain for good or bad, and now regurgitated for your reading pleasure.

This week's topic: Top 5 TV Characters for my Kids to Watch.
While our kids watch too much TV anyways and see enough crap on the tube, there are a few characters that I think are pretty positive. 

Mr. Rogers // Mr Rogers Neighborhood
Despite the absurd controversy about about Rev. Fred Rogers long-time children's program, this is one that I feel does some of the best secular theologizing ever!  While I am a little disappointed that his seminary training and Presbyterian background are not mentioned on his PBS timeline, his modeling of a way that Christians can transform the world is evidence enough.  A couple great posts about Mr. Rogers, 7 Ways that Mr. Rogers Changed the World, 15 Reasons Mr. Rogers was the Best Neighbor Ever, and NPR Remembers Mr. Rogers.

Dr. Cliff Huxtable // The Cosby Show
Another one of those shows that is great to watch as a parent after watching it as a child. I think Dr. Huxtable was cool even when I identified with Theo more than Cliff.  Not only did Cosby change the way that African-American families were portrayed on mainstream TV, but he modeled how parents deal with the complexities and realities of parenting.  I often wonder if some of my parenting style come from Must See Thursdays.

Kermit the Frog // Sesame Street and The Muppet Show
I could actually put any of the characters up here as Jim Henson and company created a wonderfully imaginative world where being a good friend and being a good muppet always won out.  Kermit and crew have arguable impacted culture as much as any other entertainment phenomenon.  Dare I say the misfit gathering of characters is just like the church.  Hmmmm . .  . who ARE the two old guys in the balcony?  Lastly, when poking around, how could I NOT give some link love to Top 3 thing Kermit the From Can Teach You About Blogging (and life) - And remember, it's not easy being green and someday we'll find it!

Angela Chase // My So-Called Life
Played by Claire Danes - the best cryer in the world - this show was one of those that folks forget to watch in the early 90's.  I thought the angst that was portrayed on this show was pretty real as you watch Angela deal with issues of friendship, body-image, parenting, family, love, etc.  It is odd to watch this now and identify with the parents as they watch their kids and their friends go through the pains of growing up.  Occasionally MTV will run a My So-Called Life marathon so set the Tivo the next time it is on.

Mork // Mork and Mindy
Okay this might be a weird one, but watch this show again and you will fall in love with the Happy Days spin-off character, Mork.  Robin Williams, the early years, was brilliant in poking fun at assumptions of culture and the world.  Plus darn funny that Mork was.  I remember laughing at the absurdity some of human practices as pointed out by Mork.  Plus, who can forget the rainbow suspenders, "Fly be free!" and the fact that Mork gave birth to Jonathan Winters.  Now THAT'S funny!

MYSTERY LINK // Click at Your Own Risk
No words to influence your thoughts on this weekly link. Might be very cool or very scary, you make the call!   [CLICK HERE]

Brain Candy for the Soul: Episode 11

EPISODE XI - What the?!?!?!?  Yes, pop culture filtered by yours truly.  A waste of time?  The pulse of contemporary culture? Nope, just weekly rant and reflection about the sites and sounds that have stimulated my brain for good or bad, and now regurgitated for your reading pleasure.

This week's episode are my Favorite Clips from Friends // yes, vacation time is FUN!

Joey Speaks French

The Trivia Game

The Jellyfish Incident

Air Quotes

Ross' Leather Pants

Ross and Joey Talk Dirty

Turkey Head

MYSTERY LINK // Click at Your Own Risk
No words to influence your thoughts on this weekly link. Might be very cool or very scary, you make the call!   [CLICK HERE]