Blake Thompson daht NetI'm just saying….

I live in Oxford, Mississippi. And there are lots of things to be proud of if you live here. Especially if you are an Ole Miss fan. But even if you’re not (cough cough) it’s still a pretty cool place. But no place is perfect.

But one of the things I can’t understand is the gas prices here. They are ALWAYS more expensive than the towns nearby. Some say it’s because of the university here, but Hattiesburg (where USM is) always has gas cheaper than Oxford. Cheapest gas right now in Oxford is about $2.35, while in Hattiesburg you can find it for $1.99. But I can drive about 30 minutes to New Albany or Pontotoc and get gas for about 30 cents less?

Why is this? Who sets the prices? Is it the store? Is there a secret union of conveinence store owners in each zipcode that sets prices? Is it worth it to drove 25 miles for a full tank of gas and save 0.30 a gallon?

And why doesn’t some store owner just drop his price 10 or 15 cents to catch those people driving out of town and undercut the local stores a little? Seems like it’d make smart business sense? Or is real estate so high in Oxford that they have to charge that much to cover their own property expenses?

I don’t really know. But it’s crazy.

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I have been a subscriber of Relevant Magazine for about the last five or so years. It is a magazine aimed at Christian 20/30 somethings, but is not overly cheesy or cliche. I really like it. And I like their website a lot too. There’s new stuff up every day and they have great new music to find too (along with some older favorites). But the editor/publisher, Cameron Strang, has been sort of in the public light recently because of his acceptence and then decline of an invitation to pray at the DNC. He covers that quite effectively here.

But his First Word column in the magazine is usually a well thought out perspective on some important issues. The column in the Sept/Oct issue is a real thought provoker I believe. You can read the entire article here, but I’ll include a few quotes below as well. Let me know what you think.

I’m someone who tries to think independently and objectively, rather than simply follow what the pundits tell me to think. Because of that, I’ve realized I cannot fully embrace either political party. Both sides of the aisle have some great ideas and goals. But both also have areas where they simply get it wrong…

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The problem is, many Christians vote these convictions, but that’s largely where their personal involvement in the issues stops. Are the government leaders we vote for meant to do our job for us?

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I’ve heard that only 5 percent of people who attend church regularly actually serve in any way. I’ve read that if every Christian in America actually tithed 10 percent of their income, we would have enough financial resources to wipe out global poverty.

There’s more power lying dormant in pews around the nation than any government could hope to provide, and that’s where our focus should be.

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If you have a passion for an issue, rather than judging someone who doesn’t share that passion or viewpoint, just go do something about it. Give your life to it. Be the change you want to see.

It’s not up to Washington, it’s up to us—and I say it’s time we step up and lead the charge. But that means with our lives, our finances and our actions every day. Not just Nov. 4.

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So after a week of not writing anything, lots has happened.

On Tuesday I get a call from what I think are middle eastern guys about my Tahoe. They want to drive 3 hours from Gasden, AL to see it. So they make it the next morning to Oxford. I meet them at the Office Depot parking lot. Turns out they’re not middle eastern but latino. I should recognize that. I’ve gone to Coasta Rica three times and Mexico once. None the less, they want it and buy it.

So we’re a one car family for a few days.

Then we enter into a whole new realm. As of Friday afternoon we are now a MINIVAN FAMILY. I never thought I’d be saying that. But we are. Now we can spread the kids out all over the place. And no one gets mad if they’re touching someone else. There’s even a small dvd monitor. I might let my wife drive and I’ll watch a movie with the kids.

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I’m sitting in High Point Coffee for a quick pit stop after paying my speeding ticket. I almost got driving school except for I was driving with a Commercial Drivers License. Nevermind that I was in a regular vehicle and the CDL was needed for my old job. I can’t wait to drop it.

But I’m uploading some pictures to print. So I came to one of the local watering holes. And it’s interesting today. Here’s what I see around me.

• Halloween decorations: to the tune of cotton stretched to look like spiderwebs, orange lights, and big black spiders.
• A girl with a stack of books a foot high. Most of them had Thoreau on the spine. Surely she won’t need all 9 of them while sitting here.
• About four macbooks. One is black. Looks sweet.
• Two guys in black suits wearing their shades inside. They didn’t’ realize that look went out when the debate left Oxford.
• Sarah Palin is on the tv. But the sound is down so I can listen to something I can’t really pick out on XM radio.
• About 6 junior high kids. I tried to take them for young looking high school kids, but then they got up and started moving around and removed any doubt. They they cozy up in the big chairs together and stroke each others face.
• The above should be outlawed in some fashion.
• New photos on the wall. They each have a little card at the bottom corner. So they’re for sale. I’ll check them out before I leave.
• Now CNN has a story on “Atheist Business Campaigns” in London.
• Older folk with their younger children sitting and reading at tables.
• The junior highers finally left. Now it feels comfortable in here.
• Tow friends talking animatedly over a magazine or something.
• And some readers.

That’s what’s happening in my neck of the woods. What’s happening right where you are RIGHT NOW?

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• First pic is the lineup of shots.
• Second is Mom taking the first shot to show how it’s done. No tears!
• Third is my oldest. I expected her to cry. But her face screwed up tightly, but no tears came. Big Girl!
• Fourth is the after-shot of my middle one. I couldn’t take an action shot because she had to sit in my lap while I held her arms/hands/legs still. She DID NOT want a shot. She made sure the people in the waiting room heard her.
• And fifth is my baby boy. He didn’t cry when he was stuck. I thought he was going to take it like a man (or a big sister), but when the lady pressed the plunger he let us know quickly that he didn’t appreciate that pain in his leg at all.

And where was I? I don’t take flu shots. I’ve never had the flu. Actually I did take a shot last year because someone from the church came by to give the staff free flu shots, so I figured why not. But didn’t want to pay $25 for this one.
[click the photos for a larger view]

Are you going to get a flu shot this year?

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Last night The Orchard was a host for a screening of the new Invisible Children Video, GO. You probably remember me talking a bit about it last week.

Suffice to say it was pretty amazing. The turnout was less than we expected and hoped for, but the event itself was a blast. The roadies from the IC were great. Very helpful, knowledgeable, and genuine. The movie was inspiring. It told the stories of three out of 15 high school students who were allowed to go to Africa and see the effects of the money they raised. 

In turn it inspired some of them to make an even deeper commitment to helping the cause of children in northern Uganda.

And The Lyric Theater….it’s freaking amazing [or freakhog amazing]. It’s a great venue for a movie for sure. And I look forward to seeing some bands in there soon. But even the Roadies said that normally while the movie is showing they hang out at the merch table because they’ve seen/heard it so many times. But they said that The Lyric Theater in Oxford was by far the best venue they’ve been to in terms of video quality and sound quality. They said it was like watching the movie almost for the first time again.

All in all it was great night. Hope to have a better attended event next time. I think we learned a few things about getting the word out too.

Lastly, here is an older video from Invisible Children. It shows a bit about their Displace Me Campaign from a couple of years back. The more I see from these guys, the more I’m amazed with their video production skills. Plus, this video has one of my favorite songs in it too.

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My third child, my son, seems more laid back than my first two kids. Both girls.

I don’t know what factors are in play. Is it because he is #3? Because he is a boy? Have our parenting methods changed in the last few years? Or is it just his personality? Either way, this is what he usually looks like:

But sometimes he turns into this:


And this…

Such are the joys of parenting!

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There is some reality tv I like. I mean, I enjoy Survivor and The Amazing Race a lot. While I was in college I used to watch The Real World all the time. It wasn’t “clean” then, but what little I’ve noticed of it lately it’s gotten much worse. And of course there are the shows where someone falls in love or gets a new house or wins a million dollars.

And then there are shows like The Hills and Laguna Beach which are more like docu-dramas with “real” people involved. Those have become really popular on MTV and have lots of teen/college drama with relationships. Never seen it myself. But it gets lots of viewers.

Well Endemol USA, the minds behind shows such as Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Deal or No Deal, and Fear Factor are putting together a reality tv show based in Oxford/Ole Miss called “Mississippi Co-Eds”. I guess the nation’s #2 Party School combined with small town southern charm made Ole Miss their choice. I can only imagine the drama that can be found in the daily lives of six Ole Miss Students. Supposedly several networks are interested, but no decision has been made as to who gets the show.

Auditions are already happening. Now I wonder if I’ll try to go eat around The Square and see a camera crew following some girl with big glasses into Rooster’s or Proud Larry’s? Part of me thinks it could be cool to have such a show here. But part of me thinks it could be a disaster.

What do you think? Will it happen? Would you do it?

ht to the DM

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I first learned of The Invisible Children while at Passion 06 in Nashville. But in a nutshell, they’re an movement began by three young men after travelling to Africa and seeing the horrid atrocities occurring as unwanted children have fled Sudan in to Northern Uganda. There they have often been kidnapped and forced into war as child soldiers. Those three guys made a movie about what they say. It impacted a lot of people.

Invisible Children has made and is making a big difference in the lives of those children. And this weekend The Orchard in Oxford is partnering with them to bring their latest movie, GO, to The Lyric Theater on The Square in Oxford.

We set up a website for it today: InvisibleChildrenOxford.com.
Go visit it. Find out more. And attend the screening.
October 12. The Lyric. 6pm.
Two videos below you should watch…

The trailer for the movie GO:

Part of what led to the movie:

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This is simply amazing. Really. I’m utterly amazed.

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I’ve been keeping up with politics again the last few months. Actually I’ve watched the news when it’s on, but not made it a priority to track news down.

But now it’s getting close. So I’ve watched the debates and checked the news sites out more frequently. But of course you gotta check SNL. Here is the opening sequence from last night. If you missed the VP Debate from Thursday night, it might not make quite as much sense.

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I’m reading a book right now that is centered around an elite boarding school in the Northeast. From my knowledge (that is all from pop culture) it seems stereotypical. Mostly wealthy kids. Lots of sweaters, khaki pants/skirts, uniforms, lots of sports that are different from the South (squash, crew, field hockey, lacrosse, etc.), rebellion, lots of drama, old buildings with lots of wood and cool architecture,and good story lines for movies.

Sometimes I wonder if I would have ever liked going to a boarding school. I mean, if money were no issue. Some of these boarding schools have tuition for one year that probably rivals what my 4.5 years of college cost.  Part of it seems really cool. In some ways almost like going away to college as a 9th grader. I mean, think of some of the movies. Dead Poets Society, Toy Solidiers, School Ties, Rushmore, The Emporor’s Club, X Men, Harry Potter, Taps. And books like Jane Eyre, A Catcher In The Rye, and A Separate Peace.

Would I have enjoyed that? I know it would have been completely different from anything like Amory High School. I think I could have gone one of two directions (at least). But I could have been the guy who ended up being very quiet and just tried to take everything in, or I could have been the one who everyone knew because he talked too much a lot. It seems that there’s various moral pathways to choose too. Lots of opportunities for “new” experiences. Part of me looks back and thinks I would have really enjoyed the experience of being away and on my own like that.

But then I think to my own kids. What if they wanted to and somehow had an opportunity to go? Would I want my 14 year old daughter or son moving out of my home to live at least a day’s drive away for a semester at a time? Would I be willing to give away the responsibility of continuing to shape them and mature them in our own family ideals and beliefs? Give it away to strangers? That’s a heavy question. One I’m sure my wife would say “Heck no!”.

I’d say I think that I could handle going away to a school like that, but not sure I’d want my own kids to handle it. Plus, as a parent, I’d be giving up some fantastic years of sharing life together (even though I’d miss out on a lot of the teen drama.) And them sharing life w/ each other too.

So…if you’ve read this far: Would you have gone to a full time boarding school if you could? AND Would you consider sending your own children if they could attend?

Tell me here.

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