Unless you started checking this site since September, you probably already know that Brooklynne and I took a backpacking trip with her family this summer. At the time, I was too busy working and preparing for the semester to write a very indepth report of the trip. But Brooklynne has a great aunt who publishes a family newsletter, so I have finally taken the time to write up a short summary of this summer's big event. I will have to send this to Aunt Sally on disc, but until the next issue of the newsletter, I'll include a version of the tale here. Click continue reading to read the story.

This weekend, Brooklynne and I took a last minute trip down to Durham (and Raleigh) to witness the marriage of our good friend, Greg Snodgrass. The wedding was great and I have to say that this was one of the first weddings in a long, long time where I both knew a significant portion of the guests and had the time to relax and visit without being torn in a million directions. Almost the entire MTS was in attendance (everyone but Brad Burton), though I still failed in my ultimate goal of getting an MTS reunion photo. The other highlight of the night: seeing David Kernoldle and his awesome bun! And I finally got to meet Dave's friend Gretchen. Click below for a couple more pictures.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Rated PG-13, 2 hr 30 min
Critics' Rating: B+
Miles's Rating: A
Brooklynne's Rating: A

Last night, I surprised Brooklynne after our small group with tickets to the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Now I'm paying for it (we got in bed well after 3 am), but the loss of sleep was rewarded by a great movie that continues the run of well-done adaptations of the books.

The weakest aspect of the film was the way it deals with the building attraction between certain characters, and Harry's new crush. I didn't really like the ball scenes, which I didn't think added anything to the story besides doing a poor job of developing this love subplot. Also, I thought they could have made the death-eaters more spooky and menacing from the beginning.

Otherwise, the movie was great. The new characters are well cast and well imagined. The story gives just enough clues to keep you guessing (ha! One reason to watch the movie before reading the book like I did!). The screen writers did a good job of drawing out more of the backstory without giving anything away, and the renewal of the battle between Harry and the guy whose name we won't mention (or try to spell) is a good return after the third movie focused less on that conflict in order to introduce Black's character. The movie has tons of action and plenty of comic relief as in the previous installments.

With all this said, the PG-13 rating is appropriate. One of my professors was debating whether to take his young kids to the new release, and my initial reaction would be to encourage him to wait a few years. But now that I'm thinking about it, I can't remember why I feel this way. Possibly a suggestive bathtub scene, more intense situations, and the murder of a child? Whatever the reason, I'd encourage readers to do their homework before taking a young child to see this movie.

The worst part of seeing the movie on the first night is that now we have longer to wait on the fifth addition. But maybe that gives me time to read the other books by then... maybe.

Also, I'll pose this question for debate: How would you rank each of the HP movies so far? Here's my order--1) Sorcerer's Stone, 2)Goblet of Fire, 3) Prisoner of Azkaban, 4) Chamber of Secrets. Even though Rowling has said that the second two movies (after the change in directors) are closer to her vision of the books, I still like the original film the best. What do you think?

This morning, John Clayton of ESPN singled out center Jeff Saturday and and the Indianapolis Colts O-line, noting that they have surrendered only 6 sacks this season and Saturday has had "5 straight games where he single handedly dominated 3-4 nosetackles without the help from his tackles and guards."

You may or may not know that I went to college with Jeff and took a golf class with him, where I nearly became the first UNC student to fail a PE requirement. Jeff used to pick Cory Cavin and I up at Woolen Gym and drive us to Finley Golf Course in his tiny, two door hatchback, which isn't easy when you are a 300 lb. lineman with three sets of golf clubs in the car too.

Anyway, I'm really glad to see that Jeff is finally getting some respect for his solid play, and there is a growing push for him to be selected to the Pro Bowl this year. Awesome.

Here are some Links to more Jeff Saturday stuff.

Preseason Interview-
At the end, you can tell Jeff really wants to thank Cory and I for helping him develop the golf skills that have galvanized the Colts o-line unit.

Colts Faith Video-
Cory and I thought we would take the chance during our rides to Finley to witness to our new friend, but we were shocked one day when Jeff started witnessing to us.

Mid-Season Interview-
Jeff talks about his feelings about the season and his prospects for the Pro Bowl.

Jeff's stats.

I've gotten in the habit of sending birthday wishes in this space and so I wanted to continue the growing tradition by sending my best regards to Harriet the Tortoise. Harriet turned 175 yesterday and she has lived an eventful life on three continents, living through the industrial revolution, the end of slavery, the invention of electricity, cars, and planes, both world wars, and the digital revolution. She is rumored to have been one of three tortoises collected by Charles Darwin during his studies that led to the publication of The Origin of Species. Darwin supposedly named her Harry, thinking she was a boy (this is the guy that formulated the theories that have reshaped modern biology and he can't tell a boy from a girl?) Now she lives at the Austrailian Zoo, home of the Crocodile Hunter! Can a baby panda compete with this?

For the story, click here.

In Montana, Brooklynne and I got to be friends with Furuh (left) and Akmal (right), two Tajiki students who were visiting the US as part of a student workers program. They became friends as we helped them with various aspects of living in the US (obtaining driver's licences, social security numbers, etc.) and they taught us about life in the former USSR. Both of these guys come from families who are highly regarded in their country (Furuh's father was the Minister of Culture, and Akmal's grandfather was the Prime Minister), but both of them were entertaining ideas of remaining abroad due to the burden of likely arranged marriages and poor prospects for good work in the very poor Tajikistan economy. Well, that was a year ago in Montana, and I got a call yesterday from Akmal, who is now working "super construction" and living in an apartment by himself in New York. Crazy! It's a small world afterall.

Ok, today's thought for debate comes from comment number 9 in an old post on Scott McKnight's Jesus Creed blog. I don't usually read this blog, but Burly is a big fan because it explains to some degree the purpose and meaning of the emergent church movement, which I enjoy reading about. Anyway, I was reading some old posts and I came across a comment that was kind of random (McKnight barely addressed the question the guy raised), but I thought it was directed at a larger question I've asked my self before: "how much of the story of the early church, especially as told in Acts, is God's prescription for conducting church, and how much is simply historical information about how they did it then?" If you did not follow the link above, go ahead and read McKnight's post and comment 9 and then click continue reading below to read what I'm thinking.

I found this really interesting summary of Bono's recent interview in Rolling Stone Magazine. I haven't read the full article yet, but I think I'll pick it up next time I'm in the library. Very Interesting. What do you guys think of Bono?

Existentialpunk also recently posted a reference to last week's attempted pirating of a cruise ship off the coast of Somalia. Funny how the timing of this event seemed to mock my efforts to convince Brooke to take a long voyage with me in my sailing post of a few days ago!

Early in the fall, I promised a weekend sports review every week on Mondays, but I have failed miserably. Today, I'm going to take a short break away from school work to check the status of my ACC predictions from the beginning of the season--just click continue reading below. My predictions are on the left and the current standings are on the right.

Today is my Mom's birthday. Mom is one of the most caring and wonderful women in the world and she has been instrumental to my life in so many ways. Besides just raising me, Elizabeth, and Evan to be normal (I think) and positive members of society, she also gave me some tough love from time to time. In sixth grade she told me I should start watching what I ate (that was the same year the doctor told me not to be self-conscious because some men had breasts--I WAS JUST A LITTLE CHUBBY, OK!!!)! She also told me I was too negative and needed to choose to think positively. She also broke a wooden spoon on my butt once. Anyway, the point of all this is that my Mom was not afraid to take care of the harder part of relationships and she was great at confronting the tough issues with love and kindness. She's also really fun. So, here's to you, Mom!

Recently, I've had some discussions with people about how omniscient was Jesus. He obviously knew the thoughts of the people around Him, He could tell people their past, and He foretold many events during His ministry. Still, in Matthew 24:36 Jesus says "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." According to this, we could argue that Jesus's awareness was limited and different than the Father. Also, I've been reading through the new testament with the middle school kids and I've noticed that the story of Jesus's purpose seems to evolve as I read through the gospels. Early on, Jesus seems to have some sense of His purpose (like went he stays in the temple as a child, and when he rebukes his mother at the wedding) but his experience in the wilderness praying and fasting seems to be a time of revelation for Him since He returns in ministry. Then, Jesus seems to be concerned more with calling the people to repentance, love, purity, and righteousness until later (maybe around the transfiguration) when He starts to focus on His coming death. In the garden, when He prays for mercy, He seems to think there is still the possiblity that God's will could be to spare Him. I know there is some question about the chronology of the gospels, and it's hard to know for sure, but did Jesus always know He was going to die on the cross, or was it revealed to Him slowly?

This weekend, Evan gave me a back issue of National Geographic Adventure with an article about sailing around the world. My dreams are a little more modest, although I think it is key for any true adventurer to build his or her own boat. So, I want to build a sailboat and sail it along the coast from Maine to the Keys. My motivation has been revived--now I can't stop thinking about it again. First, I need a place to build the boat, then I need to learn to sail, and then I need to become rich, but those are easy hurdles compared to convincing Brooklynne to go with me, especially after we watched Jaws this weekend. Anyway, here are the arguements I'm using to promote my plan.

1. we'll stay within sight of land. I think the Intercoastal waterway will let us cruise the whole way within swimming distance of land.

2. We'll take a life raft.

3. We'll buy a life vest for the dog.

4. We'll avoid pirates.

5. We can eat crab the whole way.

6. I promise to use real plans--not just build the boat from my own imagination.

7. Stops in Cape Cod, New York, Wrightsville, Charleston, Savanah, Jacksonville, Vero, the Keys, and more.

8. There's got to be a way I can turn a profit from this scheme.

9. Why not?

10. Cheeseburgers in Paradice!