Top Ten Coolest Things of 2005

#10. Jamie Foxx & Kanye West at the MTV VMAs.
Before the lyrics "I ain't saying she a golddigga... but she aint messin' with no broke (broke)" became part of everyday lingo, there was the beginning. And during the 2005 Video Music Awards on MTV in late summer, out of the stage rose Jamie Foxx and Kanye West. The beat kicked in, they began to sing, and to me, it goes down as one of the coolest live performances I've ever seen. They were both perfect on beat, their moves were solid and the song was gold. Or golddiggin, I should say. Yes, yes, Kanye West is an idiot. And Jamie Foxx made "Stealth". But this night, they were perfect for about four minutes.

#9. Tyler Campbell.
He's the Sexy Beast. The inventor of the Depth Chart, the reason that Jamie is so conflicted within herself, the self proclaimed Sexy Beast... I am proud to say I'm related to him, at least through legal marriage lines anyway. Tyler... you're one of the top ten coolest things about 2005.

#8. Times Square at Night.
I've seen it twice before this year, first in 1998, then in 2002, but this year, it just seemed special. Time Square in New York City at night is one of the coolest places that exists in the world. The lights, the people, the taxi cabs, the sounds, the restaurants, the crappy pizza from Sbarros, the theater neons... its worth a trip just to see it once. I look forward to my fourth visit soon enough.

#7. Re-reading Harry Potter.
I love to read. I just dont have time to. But for three weeks this summer, I made time. I read all five of the previous Harry Potter books back to back to back to back to back, then immediately picked up the sixth one, The Half Blood Prince, and read it in two days. This in addition to all my other duties--namely two jobs, a dinner theater and a wife to tend to. Catching things I didnt remember, it was a joy to see it all over again... though the letdown after the sixth one was harsh... when suddenly I realized, there was nothing else to read. I am going to try to make this an event that happens at least every two years, if not every year.

#6. Kelly Clarkson.
I love this chick. At first, it was kind of a guilty pleasure... I mean, you aren't supposed to like her, as a guy anyway, right? And "A Moment Like This" and even "Breakaway" didn't help me like her. But "Miss Independent" from a few years ago struck a chord with me... and the trifecta of "Since U Been Gone", "Because of You" and of course, "Behind These Hazel Eyes" (ranked at #25 for the year) made me just love the original American Idol ever so much. And it helps that she's incredibly cute in a non-buleumic-pencilthin sort of way.

#5. The Sports Guy
He writes on ESPN.com, and has just released a book that I'm reading called "Now I Can Die In Peace." His name is Bill Simmons, and he's a diehard Red Sox, Celtics and Patriots fan (yes, he's from Boston) and he's hilarious. Absolutely hilarious. Many sports writers are funny, but he loves to use pop culture references, including a whole obit for Pat Morita, who played Mr. Miyagi in the Karate Kid movies. Simmons holds several theories (The Ewing Theory--when a team loses its star player due to trade or retirement, then goes on to win a championship, ie, the Volunteers winning a National Championship after Peyton Manning leaves) and wrote out the Vengeance Scale... Alanis Morrissette's Jagged Little Pill would have ranked higher but the rumor is that "You Oughta Know" was written about Uncle Joey from Full House. Kills me.

#4. Our Sunday School Class
Steph and I were looking for a class to go to, and in January 2005, God gave us one. We were introduced to Tebe and Tiffiany, James & Jessica, Willis & Meredith, Brett & Lindsay and even more. We were all strangers pretty much to begin with, but a year later we all have solid friendships and relationships, bible studies, accountability and of course, double date partners. Love these guys. And they are cool.

#3. Lost
Oh mercy. Ne'r more have I been so riveted by a show as I have been with Lost. Never have I laid awake at night thinking about a show after I've watched it. The premise is simple... Oceanic Flight 815 goes down over a small island. Among the many characters is Jack, a doctor; Sawyer, a tough guy; Kate, a chick running from something; Charlie, the lead singer in the band Driveshaft--and a drug addict; John Locke, a strange guy who thinks of fate and destiny; Hurley, the big dude who says "dude" alot and has just had the best--and worst thing--happen to him; Jin & Sun, the Korean couple... and more. The island isnt what it seems, however, as they learn over Season One, and especially in Season Two. If you haven't watched this show, dont try it right now. You need to rent the dvds and catch up.

#2. Star Wars Celebration
For four days in April, myself, Mikey Nipp, Steph $, Steph R, Matt R, Tommy Mc and Ken Nipp immersed ourselves in all things Star Wars. That would be the National Star Wars convention in Indianapolis, Indiana's RCA Dome. There were costume contests, there were celebrities, there was lots of stuff to buy, there were shows, there was 10 minutes of sneak peek footage... I met Ray Park (Darth Maul) and the hot chick who plays Aayla Secura, and weird guy who played Kit Fisto and even more... spent way too much money. Even played in Attacktix tourney. It rocked. It was the 2nd most Cool Thing in 2005... right behind...

#1. The Coney Island Cyclone
Let me tell you the story... when I went to New York City in 2002, we did missions on the boardwalk of Coney Island. The coaster loomed in horizon of every thing we did, pretty much. I saw it. I wanted it. I wanted to ride it. We went to Astroland, the small amusement park that is adjacent to the Cyclone, and I had every intention to riding the coaster... and I ended up giving up the chance in order to ride some rides with a teenager we had met, in order to share Christ. Yes, it was worth it, but still... the coaster haunted me.
So in 2005, when the group from Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship) went, I was going to ride it. I even had secret plans to sneak away on one of our free nights and go by myself if I had too--fortunately, I didnt have to.
On the Thursday night of our trip, myself, Natalie Valentine, Paula Mackey, Josh & Brandon Blackburn and Annalynn Harrington took a trip to Coney Island, had dinner at Coney Island, walked the boardwalk and through Astroland a bit... and then we went to the coaster. And I rode it. First in the 2nd row, then in the first row, then in the back. And it was rickety... compared to this, the Georgia Cyclone is an air glider. When you ride it for $5, your second trip is $4, then your third is $2. I would have ridden it again and again... except I had loaned Natalie some money, so I was out. But it was so worth it. And that is why the Coney Island Cyclone goes down as the Coolest Thing in 2005.

NYC Entry #11: Reflections of a Memory Bliss

Just for a point of reference... this blog will continue. This just happens to be my last entry about New York City...

Today, I turn 30... actually, about an hour or so ago. How's about that? No longer am I in my 20s... I'm a 30something now.

Things feel different... perhaps it will wear off soon enough, much like the tears of most teenagers at most Christian summer camps, but then again, it was the same way when I came home from NYC in 2002. And things remain different then when I went. But this is a different "different", a better "different"... a good feeling "different".

Let me first give some mad props and awards and feel goody moments to the team--these are of course from me, so others may agree or disagree, but its my site, so there....

The "White Boy Thug Leadership Award" goes to Philip. Phil to the Wat to the E-R-S. Few times have I laughed like I did when you did the big pimpin' stance. And beyond that, you led well. Even in the more unpopular decisions (leaving at 730am on Saturday morning?!?!) you led very well. Thanks for putting this trip together. And props to the wife for the notebook.

The "Tall Guy I Didnt Know But Ended Up Being Pretty Cool Award" goes to Colby. Didn't have a clue who this guy was, but he was quite fun to be around. Very solid guy. Enjoyed you being there.

The "Most Likely To Be the Team Mom in the Event of an Emergency Award" goes to Geryl. Happy birthday to you. You brought an incredibly gentle and sweet spirit to the team, and I thank you for that. Nothing against you, Philip or Paula, but had I contracted lyme disease or something, I probably would have called on Geryl.

The "Will Be Breakin' Hearts While Daddy Loads His Shotgun in Seven Years Award" goes to little Anna Lynn. You've got a great head on your shoulders, kid. Keep it up and you'll definately be a Barlow Girl. And with those big blue eyes, you'll have to be to keep the boys away.

The "Hippychick Award" goes to Staci. If you were to have grown up in the 60s, I can totally see the flowers and beads on you. Stac, leading the dribbling session was, seriously, awesome, and I just enjoyed being around you to hear you giggle at your husband and call him "big 'un."

The "Playa to Playa, Pimp to Pimp Award" goes to little Brandon. Though I wasn't there, he apparently was playing basketball with some of the Big G's, even though he's a lowercase g, and someone yelled out "Throw it to the black guy!", to which he responded "Which one?" That's classic. You know, you could have gone either way... either really annoying, or really cool on a trip like this, and you were the latter. Mad props. Enjoy your kabuki mask.

The "Big Sister Award" goes to Paula. I figured it out this morning... you weren't a team mom, you were a big sister. Thanks for your sleeve to dry on and your willingness to be there. You made a difference. Plus, you were just fun to be around, and that says an awful lot.

The "Holy Mother of Pearl Award" goes to Big Josh. You rock. I'm happy that this trip allowed me to hang out with you some, and get to know what a cool guy that Mark said you weren't. Even when you felt like crap, you kept it rollin', which is very admirable. Oh, and you can't beat the comedy when it comes to Big Josh, who shared a bed with Little Josh, paying said Josh $10 just to sleep on the floor one night.

The "We Gonna Make It Do What It Do Baby Award" goes out to Little Josh Blackburn. You my cracka. You were a definate source of comic relief, even when Jordy slipped past you grabbing basketballs because you were stuffing your face with a sno cone. Oh... stick your tongue out and wiggle it. Thats what I'm doing right now. And laughing. Funniest moment for me: Josh, Mark, Brandon and I are sitting in one of the rooms, me next to Josh. Philip comes in and says, "Hey Josh, I need you to give your videocamera to David for filming tomorrow." Josh, with all the sincerity in the world, says, "David who?"

The "Pied Piper Award" goes to Tim. Big man had kids flocking behind him all the time, like they were moons and they were orbiting around the Planet Tim. Truly, though, in my mind, he was the heart and soul of the team--besides God, of course. His passion for the kids, and his "i'm friggin' pumped!!!" attitude was just inspiring, and the bling provided mucho laugho.

The "Did I Just See That? Award" goes to Larry Long. Funny story... he said he was in the bathroom, getting ready for bed (or for the day--either way, he was sweating) and he looked out, and across the way, about 30 feet away in the next building, was a woman standing in a t-shirt and her underlings, and she was cutting a watermelon. He says, "Its like a train wreck... you dont want to look, but yet, you think 'did i just see that?' so you have to look." Larry was the man when it came to the older kids, which for some, the fact that there were no knife fights and gangsta leans meant it was a successful week. He was also a good, quiet, non-snoring roommate.

The "Least Annoying Rugrat Award" goes to Daniel McCammon. Good kid. Great source of entertainment. And also, good knock-knock joke teller.

The "Big Daddy Award" goes to Chuck McCammon. He's a good dad, too. And a great guy... you can see why he's the children's pastor. From what i've been told, he's not good at basketball, but hey, who needs Upward when we're already Home? Thanks Chuck, for being cool, and I'm glad you and I got to spend a little more time around each other.

The "Snugglebunny Techno Geek Award" goes to Mark. I didnt sleep in their room, but he had to share a bed with Josh B a few nights, and Brandon a few nights... and from what I gathered, both boys liked to wiggle and spread out. Mark is a big kid--and I hope to be such when I get 37, which is what he turned this past week... I'm only 7 years back. And he is also a master when it comes to children, and it showed this week. He's on KidStuf with me, and I'm better for it that he is.

The "Dave and Nat, BFF Award" goes to Natalie. Not sure about the "B", or the second "F", but I do know the "F" in the middle makes me smile. She was like my sister-in-arms on the trip (I think I really connect with people who are my age, so that might have something to do with it) and she provided much laughter (even when she didnt think stuff was funny). In leui of my lovely wife not going, Natalie made a decent date. =)

I also have to give props to the Williams Grocery store for their 50 cent water, Twin Mountain Springs, and no-tax 20 oz soft drinks. And their flypaper ridden bathroom. You may hit a swarm going in, but once inside the bathroom no flies for you.

Props to the sno-cone guy, for actually heeding our calls and coming back later in the day instead of right in the middle of our camps. Leche was the popular flavor, though I enjoyed the coconut cream.

Props to Duane Reede, not too shabby of a drug store, open late.

Best cheesecake? Carnagie Deli, definately--of course, I only had that, and cheesecake at Henry's, and the latter wasnt very good.

Best meal? Carnagie Deli's five inch high roast beef sandwich. It was awesome. I wish I had gluttoned myself to eat it all.

Best Moment for Me on the 2005 NYC Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship) Trip That Did Not Include Prayer, Salvation or Anything Important Like That? The Coney Island Cyclone rides. I'll do it again, too, one day. Perhaps not in the back car, though.

Hardest Part? The Infernal Stairs at PS 63. If given a choice between no fan for the week and not climbing the stairs, it would be a tough decision to make.

My final thoughts really... God is amazing. God uses who He wants, when He knows it will glorify Himself the best. Who knows, had this trip been two weeks later, perhaps Cindy would have come and not Mark, or Colby not coming and both Philip and Jill would have come... but God ordained this trip for this week for His purpose, and I love Him for His plans.

Those kids are amazing... they just want love. Even Gaby. Even Jason. They want someone to make them feel important, they want someone to let them know that someone cares, and I think for a week, we did just that. Would I have liked to stayed longer? Only to build stronger relationships with them... but thats not what He wanted. Our job was to plant seeds, it will be someone else's job to lead Jordy to Christ. To lead Darrin ("Bob") to Christ. As someone said, Christians are not in the business of sales, we are in the business of advertising.

I hope we go back next year, and I selfishly hope that its in God's purpose for me to do so. I also hope The Lovely Steph Leann comes with me too. Thanks to all of you who went--I can't imagine it being any different, and I can't say that I'd want it to be. Even with AC.

And that's all I have to say about New York City for 2005.

Dave

NYC Entry #9: The Bling of Jesus

Welcome to Saturday, the last full day of NYC-dom. Started early, this time meeting at 7am for breakfast... of course, I was wrong in thinking of the departure time. I thought it was 745, it was actually at 730, so I learned of this when Mark banged on the bathroom door. The shower I had used all week was in use by someone else, so I walked around the the other shower on the floor, one that some of other team had used. Let me just tell you how jacked up this shower is... the faucet is on the left side of the shower, where the showerhead is located. The drain, however, is on the right side of the shower. So, as you turn on the water to get it just the right temperature before you turn on the shower, the hot scalding water is draining around your feet, burning you. Or freezing you if you start with the cold water instead.

Made it to the West Way Cafe, where this time, Larry and I were joined by Colby, Geryl, Daniel & Chuck, Mark and Philip--so even though we were supposed to leave at 730a, Philip the fearless leader was with us, so it was okay. Most of us got the Belgian Waffle, which looking back, I liked the french toast better.

Our plans were to travel down to Ground Zero, do some touristy type things, then meet back at Crotona Park by 3pm to set up for the Block Party that was being thrown.

Oh, come to find out, the man who was murdered while we were in the Bronx was a cabdriver from Senegal. It seems a homeless man walked up, and asked the cabbie to buy him a cigar. When the cabbie refused, the man pulled out a knife and simply slit his throat... then just walked away. The cabbie was DOA at the hospital. Very sad and scary... we've been approached probably a dozen times collectively for money, usually without incident even with rejection, but to know that something like that could have happened makes me shiver.

At Ground Zero, they have put up a new memorial fence around the entire area, with pictures, plaques and timelines in various places. GZ is very difficult for me. The last time I came, I knelt in front of the make-shift memorial fence at St Paul's Cathedral and prayed until I cried. This time, I walked down the fence a few times, and read and observed the things that had been placed on the fence. Two stood out at me... a picture of Chris Amoroso, a Port Authority Police officer, and Moira Smith, a NYPD officer. Both pictures showed them with people who appeared to be hurt, and both captions had basically the same text--officers who helped people, and went back inside the towers and never came out. After a little while, while other team members were taking pictures and reading, I had to walk away before I cried. I couldn't help it... it just tears my heart to read and see what happened here, though I personally think we should all be reminded of what happened on a regular basis. Four years later, much of the country has forgotten that yes, we were in fact attacked unprovoked.

Okay, I'll stop before I get on a rant, and this isnt the time nor place for it.

So, we moved on as a group, walking down to Wall Street, seeing the financial exchange building, the Trump Building (making me wonder if thats where the Apprentices get fired--though that could be just a movie set), and other various and assundried money-related building type things. From there, we walked on down to Battery Park. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the NYC area, let me see if I can draw it out for you...

New York has five boroughs, or sections. Coney Island is a part of Brooklyn, on the right lower section--its huge. On the left is Manhattan, it is a long "Florida without the panhandle" looking section. To the southwest of that is Staten Island. Right above Brooklyn is Queens, and right above Manhattan (and next to Queens) is The Bronx. Looking at Manhattan, Central Park's southern border is pretty much right in the middle of the Manhattan island. Of course, it extends up for 60 something blocks, so it ends close to The Bronx border. We were staying close to the upper west side, only a few blocks from Central Park, and from the Hudson River on the other side. Funny story--Paula was so jazzed she went to Central Park, only to find out, she actually had visited Riverside Park, which is right on the beach of the Hudson River.

At the bottom of Manhattan is Battery Park, and you can catch a ferry here to go down to Staten Island, past the Ellis Island location of the Statue of Liberty. Right above Battery Park is the Financial District, where you'd find Wall Street, Trump and the World Trade Center, not to mention the big hole in the ground that is currently the former WTC Tower site.

Geography lesson over.

As we walked to Battery, we met a gentleman sitting with his suitcase on the corner, selling his wares--bootleg dvds. The Dukes of Hazzard was one (which had actually hit theaters yesterday, August 5th), and Lil Josh bought it. Bigger Josh bought Batman Begins, but he had a number of dvds for sale. Mark and I both agreed that we didnt want a dvd that might not play in our player, or would have the back of someone's head in the picture.

We entered Battery Park and we were bombarded by guys selling three things... dvds, watches and sunglasses. Oh, there were purse salesmen too but mostly "Hey, we got Oakleys!" and "You need a Rolex!" and "come and see my movies for sale!". Our team went to wheelin' and dealin', and Tim ended up buying a silver Mercedes logo pendant on a large silver chain for $10. I'm not sure what is funnier, Big Tim with this Mercedes hood ornament hanging off of his neck, or all the really white people on our team using the word "bling" over and over again, like it was a common white word like "Condo" or "Volvo". Geryl negotiated with one guy for something, got him down to $5, then walked away because she was annoyed. I think had she kept going, the man would have paid her a few bucks to take it.

One guy had the little bottle caps with some paper under it, hiding the paper and sliding the caps all over the table, wanting money to gamble to see where it was. We watched for a minute, and one lady there kept winning. A couple of times he turned to me, held out a few hundreds and said "if you got a hundred, you can make it five" or some crap like that. I kept expecting him to say "hey, i am a Nigerian prince with millions in the bank, and all I need is a bank account number to transfer it over--can i have yours, and you can have half!" I told him no over and over, though he kept holding his money out for me to play. We just walked away. Though I think that the winning woman was in on the hustle, this con man was a God blessing, as you'll read later.

Everyone walked down and took pictures of the Statue of Liberty that you could see in the distance, though personally, I would have loved just taking a ride on the Staten Island Ferry. Here's the thing... I've been here already, I've seen this stuff before. I have seen Chinatown, Little Italy, Central Park, FAO Schwartz, The ESB and so on and so forth... really, what I wanted to do was go to Midtown Comics and maybe take in an afternoon at the Metro Museum. However--this wasn't about me. This whole trip wasn't about me, it was about Him. And many people going had never seen this stuff, so hanging out with them made it fun.

Philip and Josh told everyone that we could all split up, go in smaller groups and such, and visit, just be back in Crotona for the Block Party set-up by 3pm. I decided to go with Paula, Josh, Brandon, the Herringtons because they were headed to Chinatown, and also with Natalie, because, well, she's my homegirl. =)

Everyone departed their own way, going to various places and such, so we took the train up to Canal Street where Chinatown was located. We got above ground from the subway station and found it was packed out. A little while later, Geryl, Tim and Anna Lynn decided they would meet us at the Park, because keeping up with all of us was too difficult with the swarms of tourists and Chinese selling their wares.

Josh B had a just a little bit of money, and wanted some cologne. He wanted a big bottle of Ralph Lauren Polo Blue, retailing for $50, but the vendor wanted $18. He said "how mucha you got?" and Josh said "I have ten dollars" and the guy replied "Issa eight-teen dolla!". From out of nowhere, Paula firmly said, "Ten." The guy looked at her, looked at Josh, and defeated, said "Gimme ten". Josh handed the last of his money over, and he got his cologne.

We were all getting hungry, but let me say I don't dig on chinese. Actually, I don't dig dog and cat, so I tend to stay away from the oriental food (Japanese I can handle sometimes) which presents a problem for Steph, because she loves chinese food. However, being the selfless guy I am, I told Paula, the B-Boys and Nat that I would go and sit wherever they wanted to eat. They chose the Hon Wong Restaurant, and to me, it was pretty sketch. I ordered a Coke, and got a can with a big hair on top of it. Needless to say, I drank it with a straw.

After lunch, we walked through C'town, and they ended up buying various things there and here. I bought a pair of NYC Socks for The Lovely Steph Leann (she loves decorative socks) but that was all for me. Natalie got her a Louis Vitton purse, while Paula bought some random stuff as well. We strolled on over to Little Italy from there, where I went in and had some not-very-tasty-for-the-twelve-bucks-i-spent spaghetti at some hole in the wall "authentic" Italian joint while everyone else shopped.

And finally, it came time to head to The Bronx. Our plan was to get on the subway at 2pm, so we'd have a full hour to travel to Crotona Park, but none of us figured into our brilliance that we were on the bottom of Manhattan, and Crotona was on the other side of the top of Manhattan. Didn't help that we got on the wrong platform waiting for the wrong train. When we finally got on the right one, it was 230pm and we had 14 stops to make before arriving at 174th Street station, where we needed to be. Yeah, we walked off the platform at 174th around 310pm. I called Josh & Staci, who were already there, and told them we were almost there. After a quick stop at the Williams Grocery, for some 50 cent water and other assorted items, we walked up to the park.

Philip and Colby to meet us to walk us to the Block Party location, which seemed strange to me until I discovered that not only were we on the other side of the fairly large park, the block party we were to tend to was being held on the same day that the neighborhood did their monthly block party, complete with dental screenings, doctor check up booths and other needed things. "Hmm.. popcorn maker, check. Cotton candy machine, check. Lots of drinks, check. A day when nothing like the monthly neighborhood party is planned... hmmm." Just my thoughts. Didn't feel bad being there at 320 either... Geryl, Tim and Anna Lynn got lost, as did Mark, Chuck & Daniel, on the subways, and the entire group wasn't there until at least 4 or 415pm.

Fluid, baby, fluid--pardon my cynicism. It worked out, though.

The block party was being thrown in conjunction with a local church, Lighthouse (which Pastor Kitchens headed up) one guy said it best: "Pastor Kitchens is a great man. I just wish his congregation was like him." That is to say, there werent a whole lot of Lighthouse people there. The other church that was working on it was Hepsibah Baptist from South Carolina, who was just beginning a five day mission trip in the area, where they'd be doing VBS and Bible camps on a different side of the park.

Josh C started working on the sno cone machine, I took a hold of the popcorn machine, and Satci did the cotton candy, until she decided to be with Josh on sno-cones, which was good, because that was definately a two person job. Nat took over cotton candy then. Slowly but surely, kids and parents came. There were hot dogs and chips available, as well as games and one of those big blow up inflatable jumper-mabobs. Mark ended up doing that with Leslie, one of the mission directors, and became an Inflatables Bouncer. So many kids wanted in that thing they had to let them in depending on size for a few moments at a time. I saw one kid go running and diving in the opening, but before he could get through, Mark grabbed his legs, yanked him out and dropped him on the ground. Quite priceless.

Some of the kids we had worked with all week showed up to help, and before long, we had kids taking our places on sno-cones, popcorn and cotton candy, which was fine with us. I wandered down, got a hotdog, had a cheap (re: free) dinner and then got to watch three girls throwing down on some double dutch jump rope. They told me how, but when I did it, I managed to get in about four hops before the rope (which was a long piece of phone cord, I noticed. Had I money, I would have immediately gone and bought them a proper rope) tangled around my legs. I think Staci got in about six jumps, but neither Josh did much.

Kendall showed up a little while later. I also noticed Tim sitting with another little girl, Vernalisa, whom I recognized from camp. It was her 11th birthday, and turned out to be another birthday as well... her first spiritual one. She accepted Christ right there in the park, and it was awesome. She was the cutest darn thing. Later, Kendall got to pray with another little girl, Arelis, who was probably about eight, maybe younger, to recieve Christ. I only envy that they got to pray with the kids, but I think its AWESOME!

I have to tell you this part though... the coconut shells. Some of the games were set up around the food, and I dont mind telling you, they were a wee bit cheesy. Throw the hackeysack into the hole in the wood, and toss the plastic ring on the plastic dolphin... no, I dont know that I could have come up with better stuff, given the time constraints, but its my site, so I can say that yes, they were cheesy.

Anna Lynn was running one booth that I can only call "Guess Where the Shell the Ball is". It was like the street hustle game we saw in Battery Park, only the small object to find was a blue foam ball, and the cups were plastic coconut shell cups, the kind you'd slap a lid and a crazy straw on, sipping pina colada in a hammock, kicking back, enjoying the... wait. Lords work. So, she was having a hard time with this, and finally asked me to do it because she was tired. Not really wanting to, I stepped in and said "Sure."

My mad skillz at doing such a game, moving the upside down shells around quickly so people lose track of the ball, aren't so much skillz as, well, incompetence. I learned quickly, however, that you dont have any problems guessing when there are price tag stickers on the bottom of the cups, all placed in different places. No wonder they were killing Anna Lynn. "The ball is in the cup with the sticker in the corner. Hmm, I will just pick that one." So I peeled off the stickers, and went to work. I'm a show-off, really, so thats what I did. I started flipping the cups, moving them around quickly, I'd pick them up while moving the cups in a circular motion so as to keep the ball in the cup, I'd pick up two of them together, move the ball between the two then slam the cups down, still moving them... yes, this might sound impressive, but I dropped the ball half the time, or the ball would fall out of the cup when I slammed it down. Still, it made for a good show, and the kids all enjoyed it. One kid was talking smack, and I burned him seven straight times. Felt good. =)

When we were about to leave, I suddenly announced that my time was up, I took a bow, and left the cups... only I had to come back, because one little girl starting crying, saying "I dinna get to do it!". So I did an encore performance, cutting my right hand middle finger in the process somehow. Bleedin' for Jesus.

A few minutes later, Arelis joined the faith family via Kendall's lead, and we all began to walk back to the 174th Street Station. We walked by the Williams Grocery store, and I shook the attendants hand and told him we were gone for good. He looked and smiled and said "see you tomorrow?" and I replied, "no, we're heading back to Alabama." I dont think he understood anything I said. That's allright, though. He was a blessing to us all with his 1/2 a dollar water and no tax 20 oz Cokes and for Colby, cheap pecan spinwheels.

Tim still had his bling on, and I was still getting a kick out of hearing white-bread Paula and white-bread Geryl saying the word "bling" all the time. As we stood awaiting the train, Josh B put Tim's bling on Philip, and made him turn his hat cockeyed... Philip then did this rapper pose that was simply priceless... you can't make this stuff up. Hence, P-Wat, or as I call him, P to the Wat to the E, R, S was born.

And finally, we said our goodbyes to Kendall on the train and walked away. Staci, Josh and Mark all headed back to Times Square for a few more purchases, while we were just too tired to do anything else. I went back and began to pack my junk, finding it strange how I had more stuff than I came with, when all I did was flippin' eat while I was there. Larry and I encouraged each other in that we only had one more night of sweaty backs and wet mattresses to endure for the Glory. We kept wondering if we'd see The Naked French Guy, or if I'd get one more chance to turn my head from Foreign Chick in a Towel, but it didnt happen.

So the plan is to be outside with our luggage by 545am, so we can catch the M60 bus to La Guardia by 6am. Early, once again.

I've got one more day... or morning, rather, to blog, and I'll tell you about Trevor, Terry and Keith, the Irishmen at the Palace, and also about the ride home. Then I think I'll relay to you my thoughts of the trip, my favorite moments and wrap it up. Thats coming Wednesday, so stay tuned.

NYC Entry #7: Cyclone Salvation and My Favorite Valentine

Lots to tell, but only 32 minutes to do it in. So lets dive in...

Early morning again--545am simply is crap. Back home, my clock actually skips 1am to 6am, and goes directly to 7am, so having an alarm (this morning it was California Dreamin') that early is just ghastly.

Breakfast at the West Way Cafe, this time with both Joshes and the rest of the regular crew. They serve belgian waffles on the weekend, so guess where we'll be eating on Saturday?

Typical morning, we all met again at the lobby of the West Side Inn, and headed out to the 103rd street station to taek a ride up to 174th street in the Bronx. This time Josh B got off at the right stop. We all stopped into our favorite $1 20 oz coke & 50 cent water place, Williams Grocery, though someone commented that they didnt think there were too many Williams in there. Maybe a few Juans, or some Chavezes.

27 minutes left. My problem is that i have to stop and correct typos, b ecause i just cant stand the thought of you people thinking i cant spell correctly. Plus, this computer is really slow. It took me 1 minute & 9 seconds to type that last sentence.

Kendall showed up a few minutes later and we began to set up for Upward, day three. We didnt expect a huge crowd today (though tomorrow we may see 150 kids, all wanting their free basketball) and we were ready to scrimmage twice, especially to get the big kids to do something besides mess with the smaller kids. Little by little, they trickled in, many more older kids than we had seen before. Jason came in again, and Gaby, the "F" word kid, came back. Ray, the proclaimed "coach of the world" because he like to steal our clipboards and draw up random, ridiculous plays, showed up for a third day, and there were some kids actually waiting for us when we got there, including Mylady, Jenny and our own Spanish translator, Juan. All three of the latter kids were huge helps over the course of the morning.

The day began running smoothly enough, with your typical problems from some kids... there is this one kid named Jordan--I was actually asking myself that "If i promise to repent later, is it bad to shoot a kid in the butt with a bb gun for mere enjoyment?" This kid is about 11, maybe 12, and everytime I turned around, he was going for the basketball pile. We learned after the first day to round up the balls between drills, devotions and other times they werent necessary.

(there is this foreign chick staying in the room next to where the computers are located, and this is the third night this week shes come out in nothing but a t-shirt to go to the showers. She seems a bit hairy, so the thought of looking doesnt really cross my mind, but i find it strange. I only mention it because she just came out again... in just a towel. Between her and the naked french guy, its like we are staying in the Cinemax hotel. And i have 16 minutes left)

Jordan... so, anyway, this kid is always leaving his coach and running to the balls to try to get one. I've stopped him everytime, and so he's resorted to anything he can think of, leading to this exchange today:
Jordan: "Gimme a ball!"
Me: "Jordan, I told you... you cant have a ball. All you will do is shoot hoops and not be in your group"
Jordan (pointing): "But I brought that ball there!"
Me: "Dude, that ball says 'Upward' on it, in ink"
Jordan: "But... um... coach told me to get a ball!"
Me: "Who's your coach?"
Jordan: "I dont know his name"
Me: "Right. Go back to your group before i give you a wedgie, man."

Okay, I have 7 minutes left, and I have to tell you about two things before I go...

I walked up to Jason, and shook his hand, and said "Hey, Jason. I want you to know that right now in Alabama, there are about 100 people you've never heard of praying for you right now, by name."
I understand that by saying "100", I am grossly overestimating the popularity of this site, but bear with me...
He looked funny, and said, "They know my name?"
And I said "Yeah man. They are all lifting your name up to God."
He said nothing for a second, and then for the first time, I saw him smile. He simply said, "Cool". The first time I saw him smile... cool indeed.

One minute.

Pray for:
Eric who prayed to receive Christ today... his story later...
Tomorrow, and the crazy day it will be...
TO BE CONTINUED!!

(Everything you read from here until the end of this post, Im writing on friday afternoon, after camp and our last day painting... before i tell you about it, though, i really want to finish thursday...)

Where was I? Okay, let's pick up about the middle of camp. Everyone has come together, and Josh is presenting the gospel of Jesus Christ. Right smack in the middle is Gaby, and "Bob", who's really named Darrin. And during the presentation of the gospel, they did everything they could to distract Josh, the other kids and basically get some attention. Oh, there were other kids too, but these two stood out. Really irritated me that they didnt have enough respect to sit for five minutes, or even just leave... I know, they mimic what they are taught, either in the home or on the streets, but that didnt make it any less irritating. At one point, Gaby even called me a few names, mostly in Spanish (one of which meant"white boy", which makes me think young Gaby ain't too bright... after a week in the sun, I'm darker than many of these black kids, including Gaby). Anyway, Josh prayed at the end, and a few made a few jokes at his, and our expense. When finished, he walked away seemingly very frustrated.
The kids broke up in their teams to play basketball (of which I had the aforementioned short conversation with Jason) and I noticed Tim talking to one guy who looked in his late teens. Shortly after, camp was over, kids got thier t-shirts, and most went home. Juan stayed to help clean-up, when Tim came over and said that they guy he was just talking too was named Eric, he is 18, and a few short moments ago, Eric accepted Christ. After Josh's talk, Eric and Tim ended up talking, Eric asked questions, Tim answered them with Truth, and Eric took the next step. We were all pretty excited about it, to say the least.

We had our lunch, and then Juan walked us to the bus stop--we had looked for it the day before, and ended up at a stop several blocks down, waiting for a bus that never came... we missed the stop we were supposed to be at, because the sidewalk was covered in high scaffolding, and the bus stop sign was beyond it. Juan was the man.

(so now the time is 536p, on friday, EST, and we are headed out in 45 minutes... this post will be finished tonight, I promise!!)

(Now its 1238 on Saturday morning... I'm going to do my best to get through the rest of Thursday and all of Friday, though Friday is a long post with lots to tell... so bear with me. And thanks for reading!)

Where were we? Ah yes, we had just finished with camp, and was leaving Crotona Park. We caught the bus at the bus stop where we were supposed to be, and then rode over to our other stop, which was about 50 yards from PS 63.

We got up to the school, and began to long walk up The Infernal Stairs. 26 stairs per flight... 4 flights... you do the math (because I'm too tired to). When we get to the top, everyone just plops on the floor for a minute, legs quivering, eyes bulging, all short of breath. The stairs are evil in concrete form, there is no disputing that.

Jimmy came in, and let us know that the asbestos room still had asbestos in it, so we should finish up what we were doing. So, Tim, Larry, Josh C and I started to finish the room we were in by painting and doing trim work, while Colby, Philip, Staci, Natalie and Mark continued prepping their room and getting ready to paint it. Within an hour or so, we were both almost finished... and then something we had not heard since we'd been in Alabama. Thunder.

It began to rain. Then it began to monsoon. Then the winds picked up, rain starting coming through the open windows, which we promptly shut making it extremely hot in there. By the bathroom, there was a cage over the window, and the window was open, allowing for rain to flood in. At one point, the rain started coming down completely horizontal, and for a few minutes it was very ugly. Tim swore it was a tornado, and though i have my doubts here in NYC, I can imagine winds like that in trailer-park filled Alabama.

We finished up the rooms, and cleaned up after ourselves. The nine of us trundled down the steps around 345p, over an hour earlier than we had planned to leave, and out into the rain, which had slacked up considerably. We hiked to the bus stop, standing under a few awnings, and got on when our bus arrived. Everyone was thinking of what the plans were for their different groups, and knowing how wonderful this extra hour was going to be.

Oh, how the silly dream.

The bus took a detour from the street we usually go down, because for some reason, that street was closed. And we hit traffic. Colby said "so is this what a New York traffic jam is like?" Slowly but surely, we inched down to our stop, but by the time we got on our train, our extra hour had vanished. It was decided that this time, we would all just hit the showers and get with whatever group was going.

Chuck had managed to procure cheap Broadway tickets for Beauty & The Beast, and that was the plan for he, Daniel and Larry. Larry commented later that it was worth the price of admission just to sit in an AC filled room for three hours and not have to walk anywhere.

Philip, Colby, Mark, Josh C and Staci were headed to Carmine's, apparently a very good Italian place that Josh had been too before and was salivating about on the bus.

It was Geryl's birthday (happy 32nd!) so she and her husband Tim went out for a nice evening of dinner and dessert at Carne's, just down the street.

Me, however... CONEY ISLAND. And I took Paula, Josh B, Brandon, Natalie and Anna Lynn with me. I cant remember if I told you this or not, but lets just say that when I was in NYC in 2002 doing missions, I had a chance to ride the Cyclone, which is the old rickety wooden coaster there on the Boardwalk of Coney, next to Astroland. Astroland is basically NYC's version of Miracle Strip Amusement Park...

And can I briefly rabbit trail and say that it bothers me that Miracle Strip is gone? I mean, come on... it didnt cost THAT much to keep it running, did it? The Starlighter Coaster alone was worth the price!

...and anyway, I was going to ride it. However, I gave up that chance to do something for Him, so I missed my chance, and for three long years, that coaster has haunted me. Its called to me. Its spoken to me. It wants me to come to it.

And as we boarded the train to ride to Coney Island, I was almost giddy. Of course, in my glee, I read the subway map a little wrong, and instead of taking the same train all the way down there, I thought I would be quicker and have us transfer to another train... turns out, once we transferred, I realized my mistake. We didnt have to backtrack, and it was about the same time to get there (just a different track) but we had to get up, sit down, get up and sit down again.

We got to Coney, and we decided to eat at Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs there on the beach. Natalie went to the ATM machine, and discovered that her ATM card was jacked up, so I let her have money for food. Though she is my friend and I wouldnt change a thing, this would come back to haunt me later...

Anyway, we all ate hot dogs and fries, and Anna Lynn had a 2nd dog, and after dinner , we took a stroll on the Coney Island Boardwalk. You know that song "under the boardwalk, we'll be falling in love, under the boardwalk, blah blah blah blah..." Yeah, this the Boardwalk that its from. (hate that song), Incidentally, there will be no falling in love under the boardwalk anymore, because several years ago, they boarded up the bottom of the boardwalk because so many homeless people lived there.

Let me tell you about Coney Island. I met a man in 2002 who had lived there on Coney for about 35 years. All his life he did the same thing... he collected aluminum cans and galss bottles off the beach in shopping carts, turning in the cans for money and taking that money to buy beer and food with. The next day, he did the same thing. He lived under the walkway for a long time, and when they shut that down, he "moved" into an old, abandon building. This is his whole life... no purpose, no meaning... no knowledge of God or even a caring attitude about it. Very sad. Coney is a very "the poor is poor and the rich come and visit, then go home to be rich" kind of place. Paula said later that she felt very out of place there, and that something about the place just bothered her. I can understand it, but I think Coney Island is where I would want to minister if I lived here full time. Thats not a hint, God, so please dont take it as such. The Lovely Steph Leann gets cold in 92 degree weather, so she wouldnt like it.

The park, Astroland, is a basic "pay per ride" kind of place. You buy your tickets, and then go on the ride you want. Anna Lynn wanted to ride the go-carts, which cost $5 to ride, and Josh and Brandon were going to go with her, while Nat and Paula found a bathroom (which, they learned, cost 25 cents to use). The go-cart guy looked at Anna Lynn and said "You're too showt... (looked at Brandon) you even showta... (looks at Josh) You wanna ride et?" Josh said no, and we left.

We ended up riding this 3-D virtual reality similator thing, one of those deals that rocks and moves while you sit in it. It was a roller coaster ride, and we all got on (Natalie, with no cash, was my date for the night, so I bought hers) except for Paula. The ride was crap. Thats all I got to say about that.

Finally... it was time. Years of waiting had come to this. I was going to ride the Coney Island Cyclone. I had heard that if you ride it over and over, the rides get cheaper, so I was ready. I was even preparing myself for the slight chance that, at 9pm, it wasn't open... no matter, I told myself, I would have ridden it, and thats the point. Though I would have been crushed.

Brandon was too short (again) and Anna Lynn actually made it (though it was the heels she was wearing) through... Josh paid for his, and I bought mine and Natalie's again. And we made our way up the ramp to the coaster. I couldnt wipe the grin off my face for anything in the world. The coaster looked beautiful, this grand concoction of metal and wood, the tracks lined with old boards, chipped white paint and lights that would have flashed "CYCLONE" if they all worked at the same time. Someone was in the front car... no matter. Josh and I got in the second row, while Anna Lynn and Natalie got in the row behind us.

A simple padded bar would keep us in our seats, though if the coaster collapsed like I thought it might, no padded bar would have saved us. But please, I prayed, dont let it collapse until I've ridden it once. And the guy didnt even pushed a button... no... this guy had a big red lever he pushed from one side to the other. And we were off.

I was on the Cyclone, and I closed my eyes and couldnt think of anything I would rather be doing. Perhaps my beautiful wife beside me instead of Josh would have made it better, but there wasn't much room for improvement from where I was at the time. The coaster hit the top of the first drop, and then plunged.

The ride was great... it was one of the longer coasters I've ever been on, and I was giggling like Stephanie was the day I asked her out the whole way. When the train pulled into the station, the sign said "ride again for 4 bucks", so as Anna Lynn made her way to the exit, Josh and I both jumped in and headed for the back car.

I dont know how much you know about roller coasters, particularly wooden ones, particularly wooden OLD coasters, but the back row tends to have some "whip appeal" to it. Think of the Georgia Cyclone... that Cyclone is a tricycle ride around the Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship) parking lot compared to this Cyclone. This ride was rough. Very, very rough. And when we got done, they said "Two people ride for $5!". And I would have done it... except I had one dollar in my pocket, because Natalie and I had shared the evening's expenses. Josh had none either, so we made our way to the exit.

Anna Lynn actually rode it again by herself, while we waiting. There I was, covered in sweat and dripping with the joy that can only come in third to Stephanie's Love (2nd) and Christ's Love (1st... duh), the joy that is a three year anticipation of a roller coaster that has reached finality. I love my life.

Its 124am, and I'm going to write up Friday's blog tomorrow, because frankly, there is too much to tell...

So tune in tomorrow night, when you'll read about:
--The New Generation with Tamika and Nichole
--Kendell's prayers
--Manny's story
--The final day of camp
--Ed
and finally... being fluid.

ps... The Lovely Steph Leann... I love you, baby, and cant wait to see you in a few days. Get your long PJs out, however, because we are cranking the AC down to about 65 for the night when I get home.