But you make everything alright, When you hold and you squeeze me tight

You make me feel so nice, when I’m around with you
Wake up in the morning and I’ll spend my whole life with you
The sweetness of your smile helps away with all of my fears
If it should all go wrong our lives will come to tears
I’ve never been so deep into anyone else but you
A place with in my heart, never been so close to you
And if you want me to hang around and I’ll never let go
I’ll give you all my time, stick around with you for sure

But you make everything alright, when you hold and squeeze me tight.
Repeat 4x

If this should not come true, Im’a give my heart to you
To keep safe in your arms like I know that you want me to.
It gives me so much joy that I can call you all of mine
Or will it all work out, we’ll I see just give it time.
And if it all goes right looking down from a birds eye view,
I’ll see my life made good from the time that I spent with you
I’ll give you anything and everything will work out fine
So I can trust in you because you give me peace of mind

bridge, chorus etc.

Right now I operate my website through iWeb and my blog through blogger and some photos on various sites from smugmug, flickr, picasa, photobucket and my own .mac gallery. Basically, I have all my stuff spread way too far around the Internet.

I will keep you updated on the process and let you know once it’s all settled.

In a way I know I am right because it’s so hard. And the right things are the ones that cause us to suffer the most. I wonder though why do we do those these impossible things, ones that cause our hearts to break and our souls to strain with the pain? But then I remember Christ and how when He was on the cross He even cried out “my god my god why do you forsake me?” When I think of that I know that we often feel attacked, lost, alone in what we do but if it’s the right thing we do it because there really is no choice. As Christ as my example than I suppose I will plug along.

What do you do when someone won’t forgive you? Their heart is so harden that they won’t even speak the pain that is their heart? It’s tough on me because it hurts me knowing this other person is hurt.

I think though that if we don’t suffer we don’t live. Doing the right thing or loving against all odds, will take everything from me, but if I don’t than I guess I would feel too human. And I am human but I am trying to follow the example of Christ, and to do this I believe it requires us to act against our nature, to reach for a nature that is divine.

Fast Fact # 1
She is the only the second woman major party nominee for VP since 1984′s Democrat Geraldine Ferraro.

She definitely is a strong social and fiscal conservative, which is good since she is running on the Republican ticket. In some ways she seems like the kind of awesome neighbor or aunt you would want to have.

She is in many ways the all-American mother. She has 5 children, she likes to hunt and fish, she a former beauty queen, she is a hard worker and personal favorite quote “I did not go into government to do safe and easy things”.

Fast Fact # 2
Elected Alaska’s youngest and first woman governor in 2006.

There are pros and cons to her as a pick which is unfortunate because individually I really like her. The more I read about her the more I like. I have a friend who is up in Alaska and Gov Palin really has made some changes. Apparently, just a few years ago women could barely get a better job than say at McDonalds. Gov Palin really does not have a lot of foreign relations or international experience under her belt.

I have to admit that I like the fact that she has a baby son who has Downs Syndrome. My cousin had this and I say had because he died from this complications that ran along with this disease. Nevertheless, he brought a lot of joy into the world during his short little life. I respect the fact that she gave birth to him anyways.

Gov Palin seems like an upstanding person who woke up one day and decided to make changes in the world around her. She has a reputation for tackling corruption, having led an investigation into ethics violations by state Republicans while serving on the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission in 2003. This is a misconception by some that she is involved in that instead of leading the investigation. She apparently is under scrutiny for firing someone for not firing her estranged brother-in-law. Why it is wrong to use your authority to do such things, it seems rather harmless compared to many other corrupt practices. I wish that we had politicians who didn’t have anything on their record but that’s whole nothing subject.

I don’t think that it will necessarily change things but Gov Palin is a fresh air from what we call the “typical” Washington player. Clearly, since Alaska is so far away haha. More later.

I think really this is a great example of the walls that separate us from each other. I should know I am good at building walls around myself. I’ve been changing this of late though. I know now that we can have no real relationship with others if we have walls that they have to fight against.

When we push others away out of fear, we just keep those borders intact. I know that it’s scary and hard to let others in, and I’ve learned this the hard way and I still continue to learn it. But, we at what cost do we protect ourselves?

Perhaps, I am stupid but I will throw myself on to the fire again and again but I will do so for the chance to keep knocking these barriers down that divide us.

Regardless, if this was written as an allegory or not I think we can find some truth in it. Right now the 2nd movie is on right in the climax where it’s the big battle. I like this part because really things couldn’t be worse for the humans. The odds are impossible but they decide to fight on anyways “to ride out” and face the overwhelming numbers of bad guys.

Of course when this is happening Gandalf appears with reinforcements and renews hope. The best part of this scene is when they are riding down the hill and Gandalf turns on this bright light form this staff that blinds the bad guys, who are little cowering in their armor.

The point I am making here is that often times our lives are really in that dark place. And we don’t think we are gonna win or pull through, but we have that choice to give up and fall back to the evil or to fight on…in hopes of that Light.

Okay, I do realize it’s really lame I just wrote a post that is talking about the Lord of the Rings. I mean at least in the movie version I found Frodo and Sam to be completely ridiculous among things. Orlando Bloom’s character said about a whole three lines in the all movie that sounded like completely inane poetry.

But right now, you or myself, we might be fighting a tough battle and hope might be lost. I just encourage you, continue “ride out” and face it. Hope for that Light, God does reward those faithful and He always comes when the time is just right.

I would like to add onto that thought now.

I think that for humans the hardest thing for us about that narrow path is choosing to love. In the NT especially we are commanded over and over again to love others. I think if it was something so easy than we wouldn’t need to be reminded over and over again. I am there right now. When we have conflict with someone it is often easier to walk away and deal with it separately. This isn’t wrong or sinful, but I don’t think it’s the best way.

I think what a lot of people feel is that by forgiving someone you are dismissing the action that caused the pain and hurt in the first place. I disagree. I don’t believe that God ignores the fact that we have sinned if we ask for forgiveness. I think He acknowledges it but then says “okay despite of this offense, I wipe your slate clean”. Okay, so I don’t really know if God says that but I believe that forgiveness is not dismissal but rather not recalling the offense.

I am not saying I am ignoring the problem by saying “I forgive you” I am saying okay, I acknowledge your repentance and I will not dwell or think about it anymore. This is where we enter the idea of grace. Giving when it’s not deserved.

This has to be the hardest thing but like I was reminded love, God’s love is bigger, wider and deeper than we can comprehend. As humans we let a lot of pride and stubbornness get in the way of us moving forward. If someone gives us something so wonderful and free sometimes we resent it because we are foolish. We would rather sit around and wonder “why why?” than just rejoice and accept it.

The narrow road and the difficult road here I think is loving when it’s impossible, and trusting that even if you can’t mend that brokenness in the other’s heart that God will. If Jesus is our example of love, than really our whole lives should be about loving God and serving others.

I think about my academic training in conflict resolution. A lot of people really like the truth and reconciliation process. I think it is appealing because it involves forgiveness. I think it’s probably the hardest to implement but perhaps that is why it can be the most rewarding. What you gain from that isn’t something measured in worldly goods.

You can read Pierre’s all piece on largeheartedboy.com here

Pierre’s basic points seem to be the typical “I am a bandwagon democractic party member”

according to Pierre Obama gets it:

Wow! Those are all such new concepts. What I find most interesting is that Pierre criticizes McCain for giving the black and white definition of evil (at the recent Rick Warren forum) and praises Obama for talking about the ” shades of what you could call evil”.

But his concluding remark is

…we know a path that we need to begin to take to literally save the world. It’s no coincidence that if you polled all the sharpest, most intellectual, most factual, and scientific minds in the entire modern free world on who should be our next president

Talk about being intolerant and black and white about intelligence. Thank you Pierre for assuming only smart people will vote for Obama. In fact, this means that everyone who doesn’t must be a complete moron. Thank you Pierre for assuming my intelligence level. Thank you for making yourself look like another pompous ass musician who thinks just because they sell records they somehow have more say in politics.

I don’t dislike Barack Obama but I hate his followers. They are lining up like blind sheep just as badly as people did with George W. Bush. The only difference is the perception of the who the shepherd is. Cause guess what? There are absolutely no guarantee that Obama would even be a good president.

Have we not all figured out that what people say during the campaign is not pretty much ever what happens when they are in office? That is the problem here, that’s is all about winning, and not about actual quality.

Have we not realized that the word “change” is just another way for you to open your pocket books, and that even a touch of sincerity will have you lining up like the good masses you are? I am sorry but when does it matter who does the chores in the Obama’s household? Who cares what he does at home with his family. It DOES NOT matter.

It sickens me to see how Obama is now a celebrity. It’s like a fever, a mass hysteria, what I would call the tyranny of the majority. Maybe Obama will be a good president he does seem like a good man. Obama is NOT the savior of the world and neither is McCain or anyone else.

I am just so tired of having all these semi-famous or famous people who feel the need to campaign for a candidate. I didn’t realize that we really still have an aristocracy in this country. Did we forget that my vote, your vote and Brad Pitt’s vote all count the exact same. Or at least they should.

But please go and purchase this limited edition poster!
It’s only 70 dollars!

For a more balanced point of few the very conservative National Review writer Daniel Freddoso has a book “the Case Against Obama“. His thesis: “It’s not that Obama is a bad person. It’s just that he’s like all the rest of them. Not a reformer. Not a Messiah. Just like all the rest of them in Washington. And just like all the other liberals too.”

Freddoso opts largely for a fact-based critique, and writes that the viral and overt smears have allowed Obama to evade substantive criticism.

“Too many of those criticizing Obama have been content merely to slander him,” he writes. False rumors about Obama’s religion and ancestry have produced, Freddoso writes, “an intellectual laziness among the very people who should be carefully scrutinizing Obama.”

AUTHOR NOTE: I am neither a registered Republican or Democratic party member.

I have had for a very long time a fascination with the Middle East and/or North Africa. I don’t know why I just have. So going to Morocco was a way to make that reality and it’s suppose to be one of the more moderate religious countries. It’s also a very interesting mix of Franco-colonialism, African and Arab culture. As a nerd, this is like pay day.

When Ashley told me I could pick where we went I did try to book us a trip to Tunisia first. It’s a little closer to the desert and it just seemed exciting to me, not to mention there is a little city called Carthage that I would absolutely love to visit there. I took Latin for a long time and my interest in Roman history would really take form seeing this city that I had read about and unfortunately had to translate a lot.

However, to fly there seemed really annoying and impossible. It makes sense that AirFrance would be one of the only carriers to go there but from Madrid we would have to go to Barcelona first and then to Tunis. However, we would have had like a 14 hour layover in Barcelona. I suppose this could have killed 2 birds with one stone since I also toyed with the idea of Barcelona as a place to visit. But because of the time constraints I finally just chose Morocco.

I don’t really want to do a play by play of the trip but let’s just say if you don’t like to bargain or shop you might not enjoy the cities too much. That’s kinda why most people go because the country is known for it’s souks, or markets. I am not a huge shopper myself and only bought one item, I suppose just so that I could say I bought something.

I wasn’t too cultured shocked I expected it to be bad in terms of being girls there. I didn’t get much of it myself because they all thought I was Japanese and didn’t speak English. They mainly would talk to Ashley and of course because she is clearly foreign they would approach her a lot. I did feel bad about this but what can I do? Even if I spoke to them in English they still sort of ignored me.

We drank a lot of orange juice needless to say and walked around a lot! My favorite part was the first night in Essaouira this little seaside town that we drove 2 hours in a scary car to get too. I was thinking half that time that we were driving there that we might not make it alive. Our driver didn’t speak English or French only Arabic. We really had no idea where we were going and it was pitch black dark and we were in the desert. Haha.

The seaside city was pleasant it was hot but there was a breeze. It wasn’t as commercial so that was nice. We spent the day walking around taking pictures and of course drank some orange juice.

The rest of the trip we stayed in Marrakesh which is quite different in feeling. Much more touristy and tons of people everywhere. I didn’t really ever get the relaxing vibe while we were there. It was still enjoyable to see though and definitely worth going. We had a lot of randomness happen.

If you ever go I would recommend carry a lot of small pocket change to give away to the constant flow of beggars. They won’t ever go away so if you give them like 5 dinar they tend to take it and sort be pleased. I can’t tell you how much money I lost just paying people essential to go away. It is rather amusing if you think about it.

Here I will include a picture from when we went down to the harbor. It smelled heavily of fish and there were a lot of seagulls around. It was by this old fort from colonial days, but you had to pay to go in and it didn’t seem worth it at the time. Was the trip worth it ? I don’t know to be honest. It was an experience that’s for sure.

Please note my awesome headgear. I picked up the lovely tiger stripped addition to my wardrobe in China. It actually wore it when I climbed Tai Shan. It’s a rather international piece of clothing. Haha.

But lyrics such as “rock me sexy jesus, he died for our sins you know its true, rock me sexy jesus…all night long” with the actor playing jesus doing pelvic thrusts and such it crossing the line too much for me.

I fully support freedom of speech so I am not saying I would ban this movie. I am saying that I don’t condone it and I don’t think that its acceptable to make things like this. Of course if you doubt the divinity of Jesus it’s gonna be difficult to understand why this is offense.

Just in terms though of awesome humans it’s wrong. I mean really what kind of person makes fun of Gandhi or Mother Theresa? I am not comparing Jesus to them but there are many people who think He is on the same level. In that regard why don’t we have movies making fun of Joseph Smith or Mohammad? If we did that, there would be a uproar because it’s considered wrong. Therefore, I feel like I can say it’s rude and crass to make a movie that is so degrading to Jesus.