The Curious Case of Benjamin Button will win Best Picture this year. I haven't even seen it yet, but just from what I've read about it over the past few months, I have no doubt that it has all the makings of a Best Picture. I read Fitzgerald's short story and I'm totally hooked. I can't wait to see the film.

I've wanted to post about this since Monday afternoon. My car stereo is generally tuned to the local NPR affiliate, and on Monday I caught about 15 minutes of that day's edition of The Story with Dick Gordon. The topic was "God and War," and the guest/interviewee was Joshua Casteel, a young man who had served as an interrogator in the Iraq War, only to become a conscientious objector after several of his experiences with interrogation changed his view on the principle of war. He had a Christian upbringing and had believed he was doing the right thing by fighting our country's enemies, but as he moved through the war he saw more and more the contradictions that so many have talked about as they've returned from Iraq.

The part that really hit both my mind and my heart was when he explained that his final decision to file as a conscientious objector was made immediately after he was convinced by a self-proclaimed jihadist that while he (Casteel) claimed to be a Christian, his very presence in Iraq indicated that he obviously wasn't putting Christ's teachings into practice. He was asked why he would claim to believe in Christ, but then stop short of turning the other cheek and forgiving. Hearing him tell this story truly touched me and gave me even more confidence in what I believe. I was able to hear the interview again late that night, and I even called a friend to ask him if he had heard it. It really is a great interview, and I would invite everyone to listen to it. I have no desire to change anyone, nor to try and persuade any of my friends or loved ones to see things my way. I only wish to say that I found this interview to be not only genuine, but well-balanced and inspiring.

To download the interview, visit the following site, then click "Listen Here" to the right of the title, "God and War."

http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_609_God_and_War.mp3/view

Landmark Resolution in Local Family's BMW Hullabaloo
by Hugh G. Eegoh

RIDGECREST, CALIFORNIA (AP) - Two local brothers have settled a potential legal nightmare just hours before a contract is set to be signed. Frank Boisvert and Tim Boisvert, known to family members as the greatest participants in the Boisvert/Brownlee family's perpetual "pissing contest," have agreed to a settlement, the terms of which are detailed as follows:

• Frank Boisvert agrees to go on record that Tim Boisvert was the first owner of a BMW in the Boisvert/Brownlee family.
• Subsequent purchases of any vehicle made under any marque owned/engineered/designed by BMW (including Rover, Mini, and BMW proper) shall result in a 3-year "quiet period," during which time neither Frank nor Tim shall have claim to question the motives by which either of them has purchased the vehicle.

Local resident Steve McGee reacts
with surprise as he hears the news
of the agreement.
• Tim Boisvert will go on record that Frank Boisvert is a superior driver of vehicles of all type, with the exception of sailboats (Tim has the Boy Scouts of America's "Small-boat Sailing" Merit Badge)
• An independent panel has recommended that a de-militarized zone be set up in the front driveway of the Boisvert/Brownlee estate in Ridgecrest, California. Both Frank Boisvert and Tim Boisvert shall stipulate to said request.

"All of the interested parties have been working overtime to conclude this deal and I'm delighted that an agreement has been reached," noted Frank Boisvert as he walked out of Bud Eyre Toyota on N. China Lake Boulevard. Tim Boisvert agreed: "The past is water under the bridge at this point. All that mattered to both of us was that we resolve this now before our future children end up hating each other."

Robert Boisvert, the father of the two gentlemen and proud owner of a penis truck, was not available for comment.

A signing ceremony is scheduled for late December, to be held in conjunction with the opening of the de-militarized zone in the front driveway. A VIP-only party is to be held afterward.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/09/2008_summer_paralympic_games.html

Only 10 hours and 26 minutes until we meet again! Blessed moment!

Truly, though, coming to visit Provo is like going on a cruise: all I do is eat! Every meal while I'm here is booked with a different friend or group of friends. Tomorrow I have breakfast at Kneaders, lunch at Cafe Rio, and dinner somewhere with Andy and Laurie. Today it was lunch with two professors and dinner with the Lindon crew. All I do when I come here is eat.

http://picasaweb.google.com/boisvert/2008AugustSeptemberJapan

Complete with captions!

So I'm taking a Japanese class. I missed the first few sessions while I was in Japan, but it felt like I was able to get caught up really quickly. We learned a lot of basic phrases, including saying what we do for a living.

Me: "Business Analyst" (pronounced bee-zee-ness ah-nah-rist-uh)

Some other guy: "Computer Programmer" (pronounced kahm-pee-oo-tah poo-ro-goo-rahm-oo-ruh)

Some girl: "Volunteer" (pronounced "bo-rahn-tee-ah")

It's such a great language. You can write (phonetically) any word from other languages. I've got about 100 words under my belt after my trip to Japan and my class tonight, and I want to first memorize the (from my count) 104 Hiragana symbols. After that I will memorize the Katakana symbols. Then I could at least read quite a bit of Japanese texts. It'll take me much longer to figure out what those texts actually say, and I'll still be lacking the Kanji symbols (I think there are 2100 of them), but it's a start.

We've all known for years now that my step-brother Glenn has been a beacon of Scandinavian shorts fashion since virtually the day he was born. Now we've got photo proof! I give you the following:

This is the baby-blue plaid shirt-and-short-shorts combo that started it all! Note the matching socks.


The shin guards really hide the fact that the inseam on these shorts appears to be less than 3 centimeters.


The way you want to compliment the short shorts is to tuck your polo shirt in. Also, note that the gentleman to Glenn's left appeared to be wearing a white brief on the outside of his shorts. Talk about daring!


What in the Baywatch was going on here? Actually, if I remember correctly (ha!), there was a shark problem on the Danish coast that summer, and the authorities had advised taking precautionary measures. Glenn brazenly laughed in the face of every shark that came near him, undoubtedly scaring them all away at the mere sight of these shorts.


(Love you, Glenn! Can't wait to see you this weekend!)

Good flights. The seats next to me were open on both flights, so I had a bit of space to spread out a bit and sleep for a while. I'm glad to be home. I would've been happy to stay, too, but I'm glad to be home.

My luggage is packed and I'm heading to the airport soon. I'm bummed to be leaving Japan. It'll be nice to get home, but I've loved this trip more than any trip I've ever taken. It's been productive, refreshing, and absolutely fascinating at times. I will miss the friends I've made at the office here. I can only hope that I will be able to return again some time soon.

First I fly to Minneapolis, then to Raleigh. It looks like I should be safe from the storm. It will have passed a few hours before my arrival.

and having gone on a half-dozen shopping trips to look at electronics, gadgets, and fashions, plus all of my time walking around the VERY crowded streets of Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Ebisu, these are the things that are big here right now, the things that I see everywhere:

• Small laptops. 6 to 8 inch screens and no track pad. Bluetooth mouse.


• TV on the phone. This is EVERYWHERE.. Almost every phone being sold here has Digital TV over-the-air capability, and everyone on the Subway/trains is either reading a book or watching TV. There are two reasons why this works for Japan but wouldn't work for the U.S.: 1) The land area is so much smaller here that Digital TV over-the-air is practical here, but with the large dispersement of people in America, cable and satellite will continue to be the preferred mechanisms for TV content. 2) People here generally work from 9 AM until 7 or 8 PM, and then they take the train home, generally up to 30-60 minutes to get home. Lots of time to watch TV on the train, and not much time to watch TV at home. It's an entirely different market here than in the U.S.


• In about 75% of the restaurants, the waiters have hand-held computers that they use to enter your order.


• No bluetooth earpieces. I can't think of a single time that I've seen anyone with an earpiece.


• The Washlet. It's more popular than ever. I love the thing. Bidet built into the toilet seat. So dang refreshing.


• Lomo-style cheap-o film cameras. Non-digital. Good for taking grainy images on the spot. I even bought a tiny camera here for $10. Everyone here has a digital camera, of course, but many people also have cheap-o plastic film cameras. The really leaky kind that take awesome washed-out stylized photos.


• Briefcases. EVERY guy carries a nice briefcase. Not a backpack, a briefcase. And not the retro-style hardcase, but nice leather attaches. I felt so out of place walking around with a backpack. Oh, and most of the men dress up for work. Not just at Red Hat, but EVERYWHERE. Walking down the street is like wading through a sea of white shirts.

Fanboy moment for yours truly... I just had a 10-minute conversation with Elliot Yamin. I saw him in the hotel yesterday, and wondered if it was him. Tonight on my way back in from dinner I walked past him on my way to the elevator, and I smiled and did the upwards-head-nod thing, and he totally smiled and stopped and said hi to me! I asked him, "what are you doing here?" He just got done with a tour here, and he's staying over to do the Japanese equivalent of a "Good Morning, America" tomorrow morning. Totally down-to-earth guy! Asked me what I'm doing here, what Red Hat does, etc. Asked if I had tried the noodle shop next door. Asked me my name, offered a hand shake, etc. Such a nice guy.

Regardless of the fact that he was my favorite Idol of Season 5 (and perhaps of all the seasons), it was nice to have a normal conversation with a countryman who enjoys Japan as much as I do.

The people here in the Japan office know of my love for Pocari Sweat, a delicious Gatorade-like beverage. My friend Kimura-san emailed me yesterday to tell me that they now make it in a powdered form that you can pour into a liter bottle. I almost broke into child-like tears at the thought of taking my precious Pocari back to the U.S. with me.

Kimura-san referred me to the Donkihote (Don Quijote) store in Shibuya, not too far my hotel, so I walked down there last night. [Side note: I also went to Loft and bought a $10 camera that takes 110 film. I figured I'd do a little lomography while I'm here.] I bought a 5-pack of Pocari powder packets. Somehow I don't think that will be enough, though, so I'm going back tonight to buy some more.

I just did an image search for Pocari Sweat, and this is what I found:

Check out the way it's tracking:



It looks like the tail end of the storm will slide into North Carolina on Saturday morning. My flight from Minneapolis to Raleigh is scheduled for Saturday afternoon. I hope I don't get stuck in Minneapolis! Although I've never been to Minnesota, so perhaps a night there would be fun!

Nevertheless, I have deeper hopes not for my personal itinerary, but that Hanna's terror is spared, and that a minimum number of lives are taken. The same can be said for Gustav.

And he knew, also, what the old man was thinking as his tears flowed, and he, Rieux, thought it too: that a loveless world is a dead world, and always there comes an hour when one is weary of prisons, of one's work, and of devotion to duty, and all one craves for is a loved face, the warmth and wonder of a loving heart.

Don't worry... I'm not wandering lonely through the streets of Tokyo wishing I was home or something -- quite the opposite, actually! I'm loving my time here. Yesterday (Sunday) after church I went to the Meiji Shrine and then up to Shinjuku and walked around the whole area.

It was just a passage that I saw while reading "The Plague" on my trip here, and I dog-eared the page and told myself to post it as soon as I remembered. It struck me as pertinent to my life, though. I do enjoy my work, my duty, my job, my travels, but through it all there is still nothing that takes away from the craving for "a loved face, the warmth and wonder of a loving heart."