October Book Review

Green

Ted Dekker

Thomas Nelson Publisher

Thomas of Hunter is a legend among The Circle, a mysterious warrior who seemingly came from nowhere and sparked a revolution, changing the way of life for the people of The Forest. Guided by the light and power of Elyon, he leads his people in the ways of peace and The Great Romance, a deeply passionate relationship between a groom and his bride, a Creator and His creation.

But darkness has settled across the land. A mysterious scabbing disease has infected the enemies of The Circle, an evil race who follow a serpent called Teeleh, and the people of The Circle have grown restless. They wait for Elyon to reveal Himself once again and deliver them from the hands of their enemies, but some among them believe that the time for peace has come to an end, and the only way to free themselves from the surrounding Darkness is to wage a full-on war against their oppressors.

What’s Black will become Green, and what’s Green will become Black in this action-packed fantasy thriller from Ted Dekker.

I went into this book with some skepticism, as I’m not typically a fan of the fantasy genre, but I was won over within a couple of chapters. Dekker has consistently written some of my favorite books, folding a captivating story and brilliantly descriptive imagery along with mind-blowing plot twists into something that once I start, I simply cannot put down. This book was no exception, and I found myself incredibly inspired by it to remain dedicated to my faith in my Creator and hopeful for a brighter tomorrow.

NASCAR on the radio?

I just overheard a discussion by two coworkers involving listening to NASCAR on the radio. I have to say, if there is any way to make an already dull event more dull, that has to be it.

Here's how I imagine radio NASCAR:

Announcer 1: And welcome back to the program. To those just joining us, the cars are making a left turn right now...

Announcer 2: Just a friendly reminder, this program brought to you by Slim Jims. If you're hungry and can't afford food, snap into a Slim Jim. And also by Hot Pockets. Whaddya gonna pick? Hoooot Pockets!

Announcer 1: Thank you, Dale. Now Jeff Gordon making a left turn, followed by Tony Stewart in the number 14 car. What do you think Dale, what's his next move?"

Announcer 2: Well Roger, if he goes with those instincts he's famous for, he will make a left turn with precision and speed, but he could always pull the wild card and make the power play, that being a left turn with slightly less precision and slightly more speed.

Announcer 1: Let's just hope he can keep that wheel cranked to the left, Dale. And now Dale Jr coming up in the pack, looks like he's going to go with a left turn maneuver in an attempt to outplay the competition.

Announcer 2: Dale Jr, as we know, the son of Dale Sr., God rest his soul. We'd like to observe the traditional moment of silence for Dale Sr. right now.

*one minute pause*

Announcer 2: And there we have it. Never a dry eye in the house. Oh! Roger, look at this, we've got Rusty Wallace throwing caution to the wind and coming up fast with a left turn. Unbelievable move, executed with brilliance. Really helped him gain those 5 spots, and I have to say, he has earned every one of them.

Announcer 1: Yes he has, Dale. Rusty Wallace, as we've seen, doing extremely well after returning to the sport after that completely unexpected and nearly fatal right turn he made at Talladega back in 2007...

*Station Change*

Photo Comic 3

During my commute home, a lot of things cross my mind that I would love to stop and carelessly spend money on, but then there's always that nagging feeling of responsibility that keeps me from throwing away my money.

And sometimes, that nagging feeling of responsibility doesn't win.

Do yourself a favor

Buy this album today on Amazon or iTunes.

Here's an idea...

If you're easily bored and looking for kicks, why not try randomly gifting a friend or relative?

They'll be pleased to find a package addressed with their name on the doorstep when not a holiday is in sight, and you'll be pleased when you imagine the look on their face as they open a box containing a shiny red apple, 5 sheets of printer paper, a pen and some Sea Monkeys with a card congratulating them on their new home office.

Photo Comic 2

Decided to try my hand at a personalized font after reading about fontcapture.com on LifeHacker last week. Thought it was awesome until I realized I have no good reason to ever use a font that looks *similar* to my own handwriting.

Hot Links (see what I did there?)

Check out the links below for some interesting reads from around the web.


Lifehacker tells us how to Outsource Your Chores
Wikipedia's Today In History
Amazon gives you a free mp3 download of your choice to celebrate 1 Million followers on Twitter.
Apple's newest must-have product, the iPhone 3GI.

Photo Comic 1

I received this item this week at work, as it was handed out to everyone in the office. Little did I know that unzipping it would be like opening Pandora's Box of Crap.

Post, The First

Work In Progress.

Do I do the trite thing and give an official definition here, letting you know that "a piece of work that is not yet finished" would be how Princeton's WordNet would best phrase it?

Well, it seems I already did.

But ah, if I left it at that, then you would miss the whole point of this blog. This isn't simply about some self-focused ramblings where I try to make sense of life and refer to myself as a Work In Progress in the sense that I'm always trying to better myself. True, that may be a secondary function, but the main focus is this: I'm going to document the ways I try to find interesting things in the mundane world of cubicles. Working long hours in the beige jungle will kill a person if they don't find some way to pull inspiration, amusement or knowledge out of everyday life.

These posts may not always be funny. They may not always be inspiring. They may not even always make sense, but hopefully, they'll always be interesting.

-AB