The joys of college

Only two more weeks until...summer classes!

Just can't get those words out...

Ever had a time when you were trying to say something but the words just wouldn't come out right? Well - this has to be a classic example...

More Willamsburg pictures

Some debate art...

More...

Z-Man illustrations, (c) 2006 Dabate Gurus

Da Bate Update

Well... we ended up winning first place. The final debate didn't go nearly as well as I was hoping it would - let's just say it was spicy - it got a little rough at times unfortunately due to factors on both sides. And I'll just stop there... Most of it was on our part though - I didn't make it totally clear that the funding argument had been addressed by Aidan in the 2NC and I further dug the hole by dumbly saying something about the Affirmative team not being able to argue the funding point because we where in the rebuttals. Weeellll... turns out that I had forgotten I was speaking in the Negative block! Woops! Bonk me on the head and call me a monkey... Ouch. That would tick off any affirmative team... Then the definition... I never said anyone lied. I said it was it, the definition, was changed so I did not accept it. I should have just ignored the whole thing. It shouldn't have been a big deal....

I noticed that about half or more of the people watching where rooting against us. Ya, coming from the middle of nowhere doesn't help. But the fan base we did have was Great!! Thanks to all who supported us! It kind of seemed like it was me/us Vs. the world - and that’s not the most fun way to debate.

To Victory!

I’m going to be heading up to a debate tournament – so as you can imagine – the posting is going to be a little sparse (nonexistent…) for the next three days unless Rex is inspired to do some writing… There is the chance however that I just might be able to do some writing though, so you might want to check back here anyways.

Forward!

Something To Crow About...

From National Review:

Mr. Ibragim Ismatullayev, a farmer in the republic of Kyrgyzstan, was about to dispatch a rooster so he could put it in the pot for his dinner when the rooster suddendy crowed "Allah! Allah!" The rooster was reprieved and is now a celebrity. It is also, we venture to speculate, one inhabitant of Central Asia who will not be converting to Christianity anytime soon.

Nero; the singer who brought the house down -literally...

"While he (Nero) was singing no one was allowed to leave the theater even for the most urgent reasons. And so it is said that some women gave birth to children there, while many who were worn out with listening and applauding, secretly leaped from the side of the theater, since the gates at the entrance were closed, or feigned death and were carried out as if for burial."

- Seutonius, The Lives of the Twelve Caesars

First video blog!

To watch the Williamsburg Video click on Picture

Some more pictures from the week

Thomas Jefferson taking a ride in his carrage

The Capitol

Not sure...

Cows anyone?

One of the more menacing creatures in Williamsburg

Horses anyone?

The Governor's Palace from the end of the green

The Governor's Palace from the begining of the green

Amazing disgrace

I forgot to mention yesterday an interesting incident that happened at Jamestown. As you know if you read the below post, the group my family and I were in had its own "tour" guide (Mr. Olson) who was telling the history of the settlement from a Christian worldview. Well, to make a long story short. At the end of the tour, before everyone broke up to go explore the areas on their own, Mr. Olson had everyone come into the church to wrap things up (he was giving 15-25 min talks at the three major sites). Well... after his wrap up, overview talk he had the idea of "why don't we sing amazing grace?"

About 1/3 of the way through the song - an “official” rein-actor ran (ran...) into the building looking like he was being chased by cannibals (in his mind he was probably running into a building full of cannibals...) He quickly slid up to the pulpit and whispered something into the guides ear.

"ummmm... " Mr. Olson voice broke in. "They want us to leave folks..."

Hey, I don't blame them. Why, imagine it - people singing in a church. To have the audacity! Heresy! Put them in the stocks!

Jamestown

Jamestown - the little city in the swamp -

Dark storm clouds covered the astrosphere as I rode to the first successful (major) settlement in America - Jamestown. Knowing I was about to embark on a trek through a area that once boasted a 1 in 7 survival rate for it's residents, I was careful to contact a lawyer to finalize my will (and last testament). I felt this same sense of doom was with all the members of the party I was traveling with as we drove by a gate that had a cheerful but menacing "Welcome to Jamestown!"

Thunder Clap.

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Cut, cut, cut, Cut, CUT!!!.... Let’s try that over again...
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It was a bestial April day as I gracefully leaped out of the van onto the vintage asphalt parking
lot that I suppose was laid by the first settlers of Jamestown- the purpose of this expedition by the way. (did you know I was writing about Jamestown?) After going through the usual ticket process, we spilled (we were in a group of about 130 people) onto the first historical crime scene - the "native America" reenactment site. I looked around for about a total of sixty seconds and I seen all I need to see. It's badly done. The sets are bad and even more, the actors are unrealistic.

Grade - C

Moving on to the actual settlement, the first thing I noticed was that everything was way (way) too clean. If you've ever gone to Plymouth Plantation then you'll know what I'm taking about - Plymouth makes you feel like you're actually back in time walking around and at any moment you could come across a dead animal still waiting to be processed - Jamestown on the other hand looks like a abode with no kids and a full time housekeeper! Ridiculous... Again the actors are fake (I almost used unbelievable…). The buildings are nice and almost (almost) real - but as I stated - everything is too nice and neat which = in my ratings a very bad no, no.

Someone please buy them a dirt blower and some pigs.

Grade - (I'll be nice) - C+

Some pictures from the week

Sorry about the abrupt cut off of posts - carrying a laptop half a mile to update this blog didn't seem my idea of vacation... However! I have returned!

Willamsburg day one

Greetings one and all from Williamsburg!

I must confess that we still have not yet actually gone to historical Willamsburg – but however! We however nearly drove into it last night when we were trying to find our way to our temporary abode. The trip down took about 11 hours so when we got here it was almost midnight (10:47pm I think to be exact). After we unloaded the car I went over with my Mom to a 7-11 to pick up some provisions for the little screamers. There where about six people in the checkout not counting us and every single one of them was at least buying a six pack of beer. Interesting…

Prices. Everything costs at least half of what it does up north. 2.99 up north = 1.50 down here.

Speaking of the north: I’ve been preparing my retorts to any civil war questions that southern’s might bring up in the course of this trip – basically this is it – “We won.” Haaaa… If they press further I have my next answer – “We won and we also get to write the history books.”…

How to act like you’re from the ol south when you ain’t: 1. Be the first to ask “where aree you’llll froam?” 2. Make sure you say “good morning” to every single person you walk by until 11:05am. 3. And if you really have your head screwed on backwards you could go around wearing a coat complaining about the glacially cold 76 degree temperatures.

I was looking through the pictures a second ago and I asked my brother why one of the pic’s was so dark. He answered “because I was wearing sunglasses.”

?????. What? O----k---. ?