Thu, 24 Jul 2003

Jul 24, 2003, 16:42 [home/movies]
Matrix Reloaded - EXPLAINED?

OK, great movie, but I had to see it twice before I kinda sorta got what the architect was saying to Neo.

This site, which I discovered when visiting TheGospelReloaded.com, really helps to make sense of it all. It’s difficult reading, but stay ‘big picture’ and kind of glaze over it all by blurring your eyes while you read— it will all begin to come into three dimensional perspective as you stare— with your eyes about six inches from the screen.
~Jason

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Mon, 14 Jul 2003

Jul 14, 2003, 18:31 [home/journal/raymond_moses]
Raymond Moses, (sir)

Wow. Talk about moving.

I just saw the most amazing thing on television. It was on a show that I’m embarrassed to say I watched… I honestly have never watched it before! Jenny Jones. I still can hardly believe I witnessed it.

She was having unmanageable children and desperate moms on the show. These kids were screaming not just at their parents— calling them dreadful names and being extremely rude— but even screaming at the audience.

Now I know it’s not unusual for Jenny Jones to allow her audience to break into fits of yelling at guests and vice versa, maybe this is all planned ahead of time. I was watching the show with not a small bit of skepticism. But then I saw the most amazing thing. It brought tears to my eyes.

The event which moved me so, started this way: they interviewed one twelve year old boy before the show. They asked him about what he thought about his mom. He screamed out how he hated her, how she never stopped talking… he said she didn’t leave him alone and continually verbally abused him. He went on to say even more horrible things, the sum of which was quite breath-taking. I couldn’t imagine what would make a kid talk that away about their parents, especially their mom. He said everyone treated him that way.

Then they brought him on the show. There was a bit of booing— a somewhat inappropriate way to respond to a twelve year old, but he was RESOLUTE! This didn’t phase him at all! He snapped right back at the audience with smart-remarks and wise-cracks. Jenny tried to reason with him, but he was determined to convince us that his mother was an ogre in disguise. And it was a good disguise. The woman next to him was pretty, and hardly spoke a word in response to his flailing.

Jenny asked him if he knew who Raymond Moses was. He said he knew he was a sargeant, and invited him out because he had a thing or two to say to the man. The audience gasped!

Raymond Moses is a BIG man, and he specializes in helping troubled kids. In fact, as I found out by visiting his web site, he charges a lot of money to take your kid for the summer and transform him into a responsible young man. He dresses in army fatigues, and he is intimidating.

Srgt. Raymond Moses came out on stage and stalked up to this young boy, his broad brimmed hat tipped forward in an intimidating sneer. The boy stood his ground, and answered back to each question. We could all see this child was intelligent. We could see that he was angry, and we could see that it was hopeless. The great Raymond Moses was going nowhere with this boy.

He started off with asking the boy if he wanted to wear the hat— did he think he was in charge today? The boy did want to wear the hat and started to put it on. Raymond Moses snatched it back.

And this is where it gets amazing.

In what seemed like seconds, the boy was weeping! I couldn’t believe it! He went from a smart-assed snot-faced punk needing a good whupping to a hurting little boy! Raymond moses only spoke one or two quiet words to him, and it was all over. I sat on my couched shocked… I think my mouth was open, and water started running in my eyes. I felt like I had seen God. I had seen restoration. I had seen love.

What were those words which he spoke?

“You’re in a lot of pain, aren’t you.”
The boy reflected that pain for just a second, and nodded. “Hmm mmm.”
“YES SIR! you mean.”
“Yes Sir.” said the boy.
“When was the last time you had a hug?”
“I can’t even remember…” said the boy— obviously choking up.
“Well, give me a hug.”

It was all over. The boy was crying, the audience was crying.

I went back to my desk to work on the computer and I just stared at my screen, stunned. And then I started to weep. At first I thought, “What am I doing!? Why am I responding this way?” but I didn’t care. I just sank into my chair and cried long and hard.

I went to visit Raymond Moses’ site after that experience, and noticed right away that it is a Christian-based boot camp. He obviously has God behind him. He was just like Jesus.

~Jason

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Wed, 09 Jul 2003

Jul 09, 2003, 21:28 [home/journal]
Language is Funny

The funny thing about language is that it often cannot be understood. Especially when one speaks a language that is different than most, there can be a feeling like your conversations, however rude or loud, are secret. But beware! One never can know who is lurking and listening!
A case in point would be the experience I had in Saskatoon last week. Joanne and I stepped into a cute little coffee joint across from the Midtown mall downtown. We were in the mood for some exotic coffee, but upon entering were asaulted with a stench of cig smoke. Not a pleasant thing.
So, I waved my hand in front of my face a few times— more to communicate to Joanne than to make any statement to the general public. I wasn’t trying to insult smokers exactly… I grab a pipe myself, now and then, so it wasn’t that. I was just suprised to smell smoke in a restaurant. We don’t find that kind of thing in Hamilton anymore.
Well, someone was watching me sign disgust, and they began signing themselves, mimicking my scowl exactly. I didn’t really notice, but Joanne pointed it out when we got to the counter. Sure enough, there they were, laughing and pointing. I pretending I didn’t notice and secretly degraded them to loser-class. Joanne said, “They’re signing.”
It turned out these people were deaf, but what they didn’t know was that I can speak sign language!
“Go over and say something to them in sign language,” she said. “They’ll be embarrassed.”
I honestly didn’t care that much about it, so I just shook my head and ordered coffee. But then, while waiting for my steaming java I could help smiling. It would be kinda funny…. So I did.
I walked over to their table; they looked sort of shocked! After laughing at me, I don’t think they expected me to come over and say anything to them. They exchanged wary glances.
I signed, “I’m Jason. I saw you signing and thought I’d come say hi. I don’t get a chance to sign very often. How are you?”
Joanne was watching from the counter, and really getting a kick out of their reactions.
“How did you learn signing?” they asked.
“Oh, from reading a book.” I said. I asked them if they were deaf, and a couple of other stupid questions, but the best part was done. I’d made a point.
“You should have seen their faces!” Joanne giggled. “They couldn’t believe it.”
I smiled quietly to myself in a vengeful kind of way. Mission Accomplished.
We sipped our coffee on the patio out front. Then when I took the cups back in, they waved at me, and gave me the thumbs up sign. Oh the bitter taste of coffee and the sweet taste of revenge.
~Jason

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Sun, 06 Jul 2003

Jul 06, 2003, 21:51 [home/hobbies/fishing]
fishing, huh?

wow, so you like fishing now. I just partook in a 4 day canadian trip myself. would love to post the pics. let me know, we’ll chat, touch base, no big whoop tj

Hey Tom,
We need to get you a way to post pics to a webserver. I think Yahoo! lets you do this for free. Check it out. I want to see them!
~Jason

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Fri, 04 Jul 2003

Jul 04, 2003, 20:21 [home/hobbies/fishing]
Amazing, Just Amazing!

Wow, I didn’t know I liked fishing! I had a great time in Northern Saskatchewan catching fish. I still can hardly believe it. I even caught more fish than our guide did! The first evening I caught 8 or 9, mostly Northern Pike (they call them Jack) and then we had an awesome shore lunch around 7:30 p.m. The next day we left in the morning and I caught 5 or 6 Pike. Wow.
So do I have the fishing bug now? Well I’ve created a new folder under hobbies called fishing so we’ll see if I fill it up. I’d really like to learn how to fly fish. That sounds like fun to do.
~Jason

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