An exciting arrest next to our house

Here is the story of when the police called in a SWAT team to retrieve our neighbor from his house. A couple of weeks later, the guy was back mowing his lawn. I guess when you want to arrest someone, you really want to do it, regardless of how long they will be jailed.



I opened my blinds while I ate breakfast as usual, but this time there was a police officer with a rifle pointed at my neighbor's house. So I woke up Courtney and we watched the situation unfold.



Then I looked out the front door, and could see officers there with guns pointed at my neighbors house. Check out this guy in camo, with our Jeep in the foreground.



Courtney had to teach Sunday School. And it was weird to go outside while there were guns drawn. She didn't know if she was allowed to leave the house, but we asked an officer to make sure. I stayed behind to see what happened. Then a big armored vehicle pulled up to the house. It used loudspeakers to negotiate with the suspect.




Then nothing happened for about 30 minutes. I tried to do other things while keeping an eye what was happening. Eventually the SWAT team (called STAR team here!) showed up and began preparing for action. I was being discreet, basically opening the front door slightly and taking the picture.



Then around 10:20, they suddenly stormed the house, so I started taking a video. I've never taken a video with this camera before. At the end you'll see that the rescue vehicle drove up and parked in exactly the wrong spot.



The rescue vehicle blocked my view of the guy surrendering, but I took an interesting picture of the officers on the side of the house.



Finally, the man surrendered and in this picture he is in the police car. The STAR team is packing up. Notice the police dog?




Here is an article about what happened

http://www.shawneedispatch.com/news/2009/apr/05/police-respond-after-man-barricades-himself-shawne/

At 6:39 a.m., police responded to a physical disturbance between an unmarried couple at a house. The woman escaped to a neighbor's house and called 911. When police arrived, the man locked himself in the residence, where a standoff ensued.

Movie Review: The Deer Hunter

This movie won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1978.

It is a fictional story about some guys who play Russian roulette. The Vietnam War is chosen as the reason for this behavior, since the war was very popular to dump on in those days.

The original cover art shows what Russian roulette is all about:

(removed it because I was tired of seeing it)

http://www.kenwyatt.co.uk/images/the_deer_hunter.jpg


But honestly, the brutality of Russian roulette is not my objection with this movie. The Russian roulette scenes tended to be well performed. My main objection is the way that the plot drags on and is unclear. First of all, the wedding scene at the beginning is pretentious - by the end of the scene, the length of a normal movie has almost passed. Even though a few key things happen, the scene causes the movie to get off to a slow start. Then the deer hunting scenes don't seem to be significant enough to call the movie "Deer Hunter". Robert De Niro plays the deer hunter, but the movie seems to not really be about him, but about the friendship between all of the guys.

The first war scene is terribly unclear about what is happening, and then after that, the viewer doesn't really know what the characters are thinking, or what has happened to them. Toward the end, I was mostly rooting for the movie to be over, and didn't care anymore.

Here is the altered movie cover on the DVD that we had, which I think further confuses the viewer that the movie is going to be about deer.



But I will grant to you that there were several memorable scenes, and several scenes of good acting. I also enjoyed seeing Meryl Streep in an early movie.

Book Review: The Little Brown Book of Corporate Advancement

This gift from Michele contributed to the hilarity on my birthday at Waldo Pizza. You know, the whole place singing happy birthday and making my face red. Then getting this funny book was a nice added touch. The tag line is "The Employee Handbook for Brown-nosing Your Way to the Top".

The book is really not naughty or anything - most of the advice in the book is actually quite reasonable, but with a little sarcasm and some wit.

One of the first parts I read was also one of the funniest. It is Possible Hallway Greetings. Here a couple of them.

"How's It Going?" There's another human being in your vicinity! You can't register anything more specific

"There He/She Is!" Useful for when you really can't remember their name, but it's pretty clear what gender they are.


I also enjoyed the part about office sports. "If corporate softball is 'a chance to have some fun', why does it seem to matter more than anything else?" "Clearly, if you don't have it in you, you can't be a great softball player, but it would be a nice gesture to record the team's stats on a spreadsheet which you update every game so the boss can carry it around on his personal organizer"

The book explains common acronyms and jargon like "circle back", "downloading", "leverage", and "ping". It even has a jargon generator...I chose the word "Mission" from Column A, and mixed it with "Specific" from Column B and I have my new jargon "Mission Specific". I'm totally going to make up some words and start dropping them on people.

I also like the part where it pokes fun at popular business books, such as the ones that I've read : "How To Win Friends and Influence People", "Who Moved My Cheese", and "Freakonomics". "...if your boss or colleagues read them and start to apply what they learn. This can be incredibly disruptive: Clearly the law of averages and common sense suggests that at least a percentage of these works are written by charlatans who have nothing wise to say and no idea how to run a business. If your boss applies their ideas the result is likely to be chaos."

Overall, it was a fun and easy read, and I'll share it with some other people.

Running towards the goal

We are training for our annual Fourth of July Freedom Run.



My dad is the crazy one in the corner. Click on the picture to see his face!

Weddings are happy

We will be celebrating my cousin's wedding this weekend.

Coming up

Blog posts coming up:

• Review of The Little Brown Book of Corporate Advancement (thanks michele!)
• Review of the 1978 Best Picture winner The Deer Hunter
• STAR Team pictures. I realized I never made a blog post about that
• An inevitable post about Emily and Alan's wedding
  

Restaurant Review: Rice House

I'm kind of tired of writing reviews for Chinese take out places. This place at 87th & Lackman, in the old Dairy Queen, is just the same as all of the others. Ugly pictures of the menu above the counter, a picture of some Chinese landscape on the wall, cheap furniture, boxes stacked up in the corner. ( By the way, why did Dairy Queen go out of business? There are no other ice cream places around there. )

When I walked in, the first thing I noticed was the gold pot-bellied dancing Buddha on the counter. Or whatever it was. The person taking the order made a decent attempt at being friendly. The food was not as good as Taste of China, which is near 79th and Quivira. The portions are large, but I did pay for it as well - around $8.

Movie Review: Saturday Night Fever (1977)

This movie was recommended to me by one of my favorite coworkers. He is definitely the best at what he does. ( And he reads my blog). He reminded me on several occasions to watch this movie, saying that it a movie about a person putting aside his childish ways and becoming a man. Plus, the music is awesome. ("Bee Gees rule! he says")

I totally agree about the music - I had it in my head for a couple of weeks, and I realized disco is not that bad. But the plot left a lot to be desired. What I thought would be an entertaining movie about dancing, was more about a teen (Tony, played by John Travolta) who hangs around the wrong people, including having a bad family situation. So the gang he hangs out with are not good guys - lots of cussing, sex in the back of cars, fighting, drinking, drugs - and this goes on the entire movie. This was kind of a surprise for me - I guess I thought it would be more of a family film, or at least more mainstream, since it is a famous movie. In the 70s they made a PG version so that more people would see the movie, but our library has the original rated R version.

Tony's family treats him like dirt, and thinks his brother who became a priest is the best - it actually was interesting how this brother leaves the church, and this makes Tony feel better about himself. Tony is rude to his current dancing partner, who really likes him. He then leaves her for another partner that is not part of the gang. The new partner shows him that he can have a future, because she has gotten a job in Manhattan. But apart from his mad dancing skills and job at the painting store, he is pretty much not getting ahead, until the last 2 seconds of the movie where he decides to leave his old ways behind.

Best of April 2009

Best Movie That I Saw for the First Time: Annie Hall

Best Book I Read: A New Kind of Christian, by Brian McLaren

Best Life Happenings:

• BDay at Waldo Pizza
  
• Played Simon & Garfunkel songs for the RFKC talent show
  
• The police situation outside our house, where they stormed the house with a SWAT team. Only good in the sense that it was exciting
  
• Finished trim in living room, then we moved furniture back. Hung some doors back on
• Arkansas Trip
  

Worst Life Happenings:

Didn't really write down any

Best online video I watched for the First time: Lucky's Funeral




2nd place: Kite Aerial Photography


Picture(s) of the Month by our camera.
SWAT Team and my car in the foreground



Pierces


Shelby

Book Review: A New Kind of Christian, by Brian McLaren

A New Kind of Christian is a story of a pastor who is beginning to question the current way of doing things, and his new friend, who is a human encyclopedia about church history and church issues. Together, the friends discuss how the church can become something new.

For the sake of making things easier, I will refer to the characters by their first names. The pastor's name is Dan. The new friend is named Neo.

Pastor Dan's problem in particular is he is becoming detached from what is expected of him. He explains to Neo, "It's not just burnout. It's more like I'm losing my faith - well, not exactly that, but I fell that I'm losing the whole framework for my faith. I keep pushing things into....the little systems I got in seminary and even before that....But life is too messy to fit"

I love Neo's response. "Daniel, I think you're suffering from an immigration problem...You have a modern faith you have developed in your homeland of modernity. But you're immigrating to a new land, a postmodern world. You feel like you don't fit in either world. You can't decide whether to settle in a little ghetto or to move out into the new land. But you can't make the transition to the other side alone"



In their next meeting, over coffee, Neo explains that the Modern era began around 1500, and Neo claims that era is ending and being replaced by postmodernism. Some characteristics of the modern age are secular science, objectivity, analysis, machines, individualism, consumerism.

After this meeting, Dan writes in his diary that the phrase "God is in control" must have meant something completely different before the age of complex machines. He writes "we run the risk of importing and imposing our modern conceptions of clockwork, operation, mechanism onto [God]"

Christianity has interpreted the Bible in a scientific, mechanistic way, as if it is "God's encyclopedia, God's rule book, God's answer book". Neo summarizes "I think when you let go of the Bible as God's answer book, you get it back as something so much better....it tells the family story...a book that tells us who we are and what story we find ourselves in so that we know what to do and how to live". "I wonder what would happen if we honestly listened to the story and put ourselves under its spell, so to speak, not using it to get all of our questions about God answered..."

More profound thoughts from Neo
About sharing the gospel: "If Christians would take all the energy we put into proving we're right and others are wrong and invested that energy in pursuing and doing good, somehow I think that more people would believe we are right" A memorable section that I can't find relates that being friends with someone just to share Christ is not real friendship, and ultimately cheapens us and our message.

About other religions: "I'd have to say that the world is better off for having these religions than having no religions at all, or just one, even if it were ours. I wonder if these other religions might have a role much like Paul described for the Old Testament law back in Galatians - they serve as tutors or caretakers that preserve a culture until Christ can come to it with his good news. They aren't the enemy of the gospel, in my mind, any more that Christianity is the enemy - though of course, sometimes it is" (If you don't get this point, talk to me. Most people my age understand this concept of Christianity getting in the way of Christ.)

The rest of the book is not necessarily as captivating; it was perhaps written for people further along than me in thinking about these things. It's a good book - I want to read it again sometime. It was Courtney's birthday book to me, meaning that she gave it to me on her birthday for me to read. Her previous birthday books have scored #1 and #2 on my Best of the Year Lists.

Arkansas Trip - Wedding Anniversary 3

Arkansas got chosen as state #3 because it was within driving distance. Sure, we could have flown somewhere with low cost. But we didn't consider it. It turned out to be good because we spent time with family. Next time around I think I'll be ready for more adventure in some random state far away.

The lesson learned in this trip is to completely discuss all plans with your family ahead of time. It is not ideal to search the Internet for stuff to do WHILE in that town! It all turned out fine, but I can go without the stress. And to further reduce stress, we will definitely buy GPS before our next driving trip. I think I have always gotten lost on the way to places, but I didn't really notice until I got married and had someone get impatient with me for getting lost. To me, a main goal of trips should be to have low stress. I feel that having GPS and planning ahead are things I learned for next time.

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I am a very slow packer and reluctant to leave the house, so the fact that we left ahead of the planned time was an accomplishment. Courtney drove the first part of the way, all the way to Springfield. Along the way we made a stop at Osceola Cheese. When we drove up I said "I thought it would be a lot classier." The outside look didn't matter. They have hundreds of cheese samples it seems, and a lot of creative flavors, such as Taco, Pepperoni, Spicy Garden Vegetable, Hickory, and so on. We chose a gift for Uncle Paul and Aunt Martha, and settled on the Basil Tomato Cheese and we also got a summer sausage.





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As you drive into Arkansas from Branson, it gets really curvy and hilly. The scenery is beautiful, and I saw some camping areas that I'd revisit if I ever get into camping. A few hours later we reached Bradford, AR, the home of my aunt and uncle.


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Paul and Martha live in a house with a long driveway. They have two dogs - one black one that barked at us the whole time, and didn't get close to us. He "took his job seriously". Then they also have a golden retriever that wanted lots of attention. Uncle Paul was mowing and welcomed us in, and Aunt Martha was visiting her mother, who had fallen recently and was in the hospital. He cut up the sausage and cheese we brought, and we caught up. Aunt Martha came later and we had a nice dinner together. Then we talked in the living room and caught up some more.


Me and the nice Golden Retriever


This clock is in their kitchen


The next day we went out and played disc golf, especially because rain was in the forecast for later that week, and we wouldn't get the chance later on. Uncle Paul went along. The course was in a town about 20 minutes down the highway. We got turned around and had to ask for directions at a gas station, and no one knew where the road was. And they pulled out a map, and it happened to be about 2 streets down. We couldn't find the first tee, but a shirtless middle aged man (it wasn't hot outside) sitting in a car told us all about the course. We had fun completing the course, and headed back to town. We had dinner with the family again, and packed up and headed down to Little Rock.

Courtney captured this stunning photo in Bradford, next door to their house:


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At the Ramada hotel we were greeted by a sign printed that said the pool was closed - sorry for the inconvenience. We didn't bring bathing suits, but we believe there should be some accountability for hotels and travel sites to communicate about broken amenities. The person at the desk was not really that friendly - and I signed a couple of things and gave a card for incidental damage. It was just not that welcoming. But the only thing that matters in hotels is a comfortable sleep, and we got that.

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In the morning we picked up Jennifer (got slightly lost along the way, even though it's a mile away from the hotel). She directed us to the Big Dam Bridge. There were two 5Ks ending, so we had to park a ways away, and we walked to the bridge




We headed down to the Clinton Presidential Museum. It truly is partisan and self-aggrandizing. I mentioned this and Jennifer said, "Are you really surprised?" The silence on the issue of Monica Lewinsky was screaming out in my opinion. But it is a good museum in the sense that it chronicles a lot of the political and cultural events of the 90s. It also has an impressive collection of gifts to the president from many countries.



We found a place to park and a place to eat at the River Market - Big Whiskey Bar and Grill. We really got to get to know Jennifer better. Then we *should* have walked down the street and gone to the Old State House museum because it was still open, but we did visit Ten Thousand Villages and some girly store. Then we went to Jennifer's apartment and played some Settlers of Catan. And we had dinner at Caruso's and continued to hang out with Jennifer, and then we took her to get her car from the shop, and headed back to the hotel.


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Sunday was my favorite day of the trip, because it was the least filled with uncertainty about what we were going to do. This has to do with how Courtney researched things to do and wrote down directions to everything.

First stop: the Central High School museum. This is right across from the high school and chronicles when the 9 Black students showed up to the integrated school and were greeted by a mob. And the military came in to help the students go to class. Just imagine how they were treated on the inside. This museum is spectacular.



Second stop: Riverfront. We didn't really find the "art on the riverfront" but we had fun walking around. We eventually went inside the hotel there and looked at the trained ducks that they have in the lobby. We took a ride up and down the elevator.

We went next door to the Old State House museum. This was the previous state capitol building until it deteriorated in the early 1900s. The first area had documentation on how they made the building a museum. "A museum about the museum." But there were better things, like recreated rooms with original style of furnishings, and first lady of Arkansas inaugural gowns.

Then we drove across the river to get a tour of the Inland Maritime Museum. It's an old submarine that is sitting in the harbor.




We left the submarine museum and headed West, then North through the scenic route through the mountains to Fayetteville.

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When we arrived at the hotel in Fayetteville, the receptionist said, Mr. Gras? I asked how he knew, and he replied sarcastically "We're really busy." We watched the Simpsons, and then decided on a place to eat. Then we cruised around the U of A. It is really compact, and has less green space than K-State. I'd say it's not impressive looking for a major state university. But the sports complex is right on campus, which is nice.

In the morning we decided to go to Devils Den State Park, which is 30 minutes South of Fayetteville. I really enjoyed it. I think the most fun things Courtney and I have done on trips are the outdoor/ hiking things. We took a nice hike and looked at caverns and waterfalls. Then we headed back home. state #3 down. Happy 3 year anniversary!!

Movie Review: Annie Hall

This Woody Allen film had the distinction of beating Star Wars for Best Picture in 1977. It was actually one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. But not more deserving of Best Picture than Star Wars.

The opening scene was very good:



The "free love" and drug cultures were portrayed really well - I expected to see more of that in the 60s movies, but I guess the 70s is the time for that too. I wasn't sure what to expect from Woody Allen, who is generally known as a perverted old man. And his character was quite obsessed with sex, but came across as very endearing, funny man. The one-liners he shoots out are terrific, and it was a very good acting job, it almost looked improvised. Diane Keaton did a great job in her role, adding a lot of stuttering to the speech and clumsiness.

Paul Simon plays a role, and a young Christopher Walken has a very funny scene.

There are many creative film making methods in the movie, it seemed like they threw everything in there, such as freezing the frame as Allen's character speaks to the camera, or showing him as an animated character, and many other memorable things.