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I stink at blogging. Tyler

Sep 22nd

4corners: Saturday Edition

Welcome back to 4corners, a quick look at four random things on my mind. I know it’s a day late, but that’s neither here nor there. What’s important is that we’re here, sharing in this moment together. Here are this week’s 4corners: Whatever changes have been made to Safari (post-Snow Leopard) officially wrecked Tumblr support. I thought I’d moved on from...

Sep 5th

The Old Box.

I’m going to a thrift store this weekend, because I need an old box. This can’t be just any old box, though: I need an old box that can hold some serious junk. This week, our students (and students all around the country) are going back to school. It’s an abrupt shift from summertime frivolity to autumnal rigidity. Lazy mornings, camp excursions, and family vacations have...

Sep 3rd

Radical:

Adjective. 1. Relating to or affecting the fundamental nature of something. What is radical? It’s a slanderous word. Radical left or right. Radical activism. Radical Islam. Radical fundamentalism. Radical Christianity. Nobody likes radical, because radical means change. And change is uncomfortable, unexpected, and unwelcome. Change is deep. 2. Of or relating to the root of...

Sep 2nd

Causes 3: Postal Patriotism

If you haven’t heard the news, the United States Postal Service is in deep, deep trouble. Does this worry anybody else? We’re talking about the Post Office here. Every town has one, each outfitted with a small fleet of miniature, mail-dipensing ice cream trucks. They bring you your mail—all of it. Your packages may come from FedEx or UPS, but your mail—the good, the...

Sep 1st

To the Faithful 188.

188. That’s how many people looked at this page in August. 1. That’s how many times I’ve posted in the same window. Disparity? I think so. Things aren’t as bleak as they seem here on the 1square page. It’s just that…well…I haven’t had much to say. I mean, I’ve been busy, and I’m only just now settling into a brand new life...

Aug 31st

1square Blog Nugget: Back with an eventual vengeance. Summer. Two camps=done. One VBS=tackled. All that’s left are three little weeks of the whole world on my shoulders while the Pastor vacations. Then I’m in the clear. At least I’ll be in my office more, which should hopefully translate into more good times here on the 1square blog. In other words, stay tuned. Until...

Aug 3rd

The Warm Fuzzies 01: Pogs

I frustrate my wife. Admittedly, she puts up with a lot. But she knew about my frequent nostalgia binges from the get-go, and married life hasn’t exactly changed that. (How many of my classic video games are on display in our living room? If you answered, “all of them,” give yourself a gold star.) Pog has become a bit of a dirty word in our household recently. Not that I...

Jul 23rd

MediaBox 11: Harry Potter, yeah!

I am not, by strictest definition, a Harry Potter fan. I have read exactly zero Harry Potter books. I own no HP merchandise, so far as I know—I can’t speak for my wife’s possessions. And yet somehow, through the infinite bafflement of trying to be hip to what’s square, I went to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince at 12:01 am today. For personal reasons, I...

Jul 15th

The Right Stuff

Are you on Twitter yet? Everybody in the world is talking about it. (I honestly listened to a Twitter discourse from a Thomas Jefferson portrayer this very week.) The world now moves at the speed of Tweets. Get on it. Whenever you finally capitulate, try TweetDeck. It makes managing multiple Twitter accounts and Facebook updates a snap. And it’s free. Excuses=Zero. Oh, and after you...

Jul 8th

My life is average.

I’ve spent two weeks wondering when I would finally get back to blogging. Web laziness has been in overdrive since the wedding, and the old 1square space has been seriously neglected. On a side note, can laziness be in overdrive? I mean, semantically? You haven’t missed much. I did see a truly mediocre movie (no 1square Seal of Approval for you). God revealed some pretty awesome...

Jul 6th

1square Blog Nugget 11: At least, I think it’s 11… I was going to write something about last week’s youth camp experience today, but I seem to have very little to say. That’s not a reflection of the camp, but is more of a statement on my tiredness and my week-old mountain of work. What’s next for this blog? Who knows? I’ve got some writing to do, so stay...

Jun 29th

Fathers' Day

This one for you, Dad. Tyler PS: Headed to camp this morning. See y’all in a week. see more Lol Celebs

Jun 21st

Looking to the future...

I was in the middle of a really introspective (and kinda whiny) blog post about, like, ‘Why do I do this?” and, “What’s this blog’s significance?” and so on. It was boring. So, since I wanted to talk about looking to the future today, I’ll just say that I’m planning on increasing 1square’s brand visibility (perhaps a trademark is in order)....

Jun 18th

The Tweet That Passes All Understanding

I get looks. Not “come hither” looks. Not “hey that guy has it going on” looks. I don’t even get the “don’t mess with me looks” from scary vagrants (I guess I’m not a threat). What I do get are “space alien” looks—I say or do something ridiculous, and people look at me like I’m a space alien. A non-cute,...

Jun 16th

Facebook v. Twitter, Round #(Who Knows?)

I just signed up for my very own Facebook URL, which is exciting (Facebook wants me to think so, at least). Just what does this mean, exactly? It means that folks can now find my Facebook profile directly at facebook.com/1square. How cool is that? Moderately cool, I guess. But what does it really mean? It really means that Facebook has taken yet another step into Twitter territory. First...

Jun 15th

Please oh please oh please....

Dear Jimmy Fallon, Don’t let me down. Tyler

Jun 10th

1square Blog Nugget 9: Post-honeymoon posting It’s hard to believe this space has gone untouched for more than a week, but that’s what happens when you get married and go on a honeymoon. To all seven of you who have looked at the page this month, I apologize. Hope is not lost, though, and you can look forward to some awesome new content later this week. I’ll talk bachelor...

Jun 9th

And the winner is...

A while back, I decided to let the faithful few readers of this blog decide what my first-ever book would be. I mean, I’m supposed to be a writer. Time to do work. And time to announce the winner. My first book… will be… Church Words: How to Curse Like a Christian. Drafting begins post honeymoon. As promised, the book’s introductory passage will be posted right...

May 28th

Viva la Coldplay

I finally got my birthday gift last week. Actually, I “got” it when Mindy called me and said, “We’re getting Coldplay tickets,” but that was some weeks before showtime at Nissan Pavilion. Last week, she made good on it. As both space and time are limited (for the blog…don’t hit me with irrational ever-expanding universe junk), I can only give you a...

May 27th

MediaBox 10: Terminator Salvation.

So this is late. I mean, Terminator Salvation came out, like, last Thursday. I saw it on Friday. This review is going up on Tuesday. Fail. Speaking of “Fail,” I wish I could’ve warned you about this movie before it made a bunch of your money. However late, I thought I’d take a moment to warn you against McG’s miserable stab at a somewhat venerable franchise. ...

May 26th

1square Blog Nugget 8: Seriously Busy Hey, folks. It turns out that the week before one’s wedding is seriously busy. With a short week at work (and an absent Pastor, to boot), I’ve spent less time at my computer (which makes blogging surprisingly difficult). Add in a trip to NOVA, and I’m positively out of time. But that doesn’t mean you should give up on this...

May 22nd

MediaBox 9: Angels & Demons

Let me get on my high-horse for a second. On the subject of novel-to-film translations and comparisons: It is almost universally unfair to judge the resulting film against its literary counterpart. It’s nonsensical and wrong and bad. That being said, I really wish Angels & Demons were more like Dan Brown’s novel. At least then there may have been some depth of character, some...

May 18th

Press SPACE BAR to continue...

In the further interest of wasting one’s time, I’ve found the perfect diversion for this stuck-in-the-office-even-though-I’ve-got-a-pain-in-the-nasal-cavity-cold afternoon. Hello, Oregon Trail. Hit the link above to play the original Oregon Trail online. Sadly, my youngest son Jefferson died in a horrible river-fording catastrophe, and both Mindy and Big Josh succumbed to...

May 13th

MediaBox 8: Pogo

OK, this warrants a full-on MediaBox spot (something that is sure to make this dude I don’t know proud). If you haven’t peeped the Alice video below, do it right now. I’ll wait. Straight trippy, no? Well, I would’ve left it at that, if I hadn’t found this (c/o last.fm). That’s right: Pogo’s entire Wonderland set is a free download. Check out his...

May 11th

Down the rabbit hole...

Check this out. Then check this out. Mad props to YooouuuTuuube. Tyler

May 11th

4corners: Choose Your Own Adventure Edition

This feels like a special day. I am about to put my life in your (hopefully capable) hands. If it wasn’t special before, it is now. Here’s the deal, I’m about to let you decide what my first-ever attempt at book writing will be. Four choices, one vote, one outcome. This is not a joke—whatever wins, I’ll work on. As soon as an introduction or opening chapter or...

May 9th

MediaBox 7: Star Trek

First, a test: If you know the difference between Star Trek and Star Wars, raise your hand. Keep it raised if you know what a Romulan is. If you can hum a few bars of any Star Trek theme, keep it up. Lastly, if you can explain—in detail—the difference between the colors of Starfleet uniforms from series to series, may you live long and prosper. Geek. The good news is...

May 8th

1square Blog Nugget 7: Shutting up OK, folks…here’s your chance. If at least 7 people petition me in the comments, I’ll remove the Mae widget from this blogspace. If you’re tired of the music, let me know (but don’t give up on their cause, ‘cause it’s amazing). Be back Friday for a page full of awesome: Star Trek review, plus your chance to mould my...

May 6th

MediaBox 6: Summer Movies

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Spring has sprung, theme parks are open, and school’s about to be a distant memory (for a bit, at least). It’s time for some movies, people! With today’s opening of that awful-looking Wolverine film (sorry, X-fans), the summer movie season has officially begun. If I remember correctly, I saw about 12 movies last summer (not...

May 1st

4corners: Current Favorites Edition

I know it’s Thursday, but I’m bringing 4corners out anyway. With both wedding season and final exams upon us, it’s a good time to sit back, click, and laugh at some of my current favorite stuff. Enjoy. 1. Current Favorite Site: Once Upon a Win 2. Current Favorite Video: Batman and Joker Interrogation Spoof 3. Current Favorite Pointless Cat Meme: Interested Cat 4....

Apr 30th

1square Blog Nugget 6: “Ask.” So I’m working on tonight’s Bible Study, the first of a three-part focus on Matthew 7:7-8. Topic: “Ask.” How appropriate, then, that I have a question. What do you see as the toughest faith questions facing students today? What are they asking of God? What answers do they expect? If you have any insight, leave a note in...

Apr 29th

The Facebook Initiative

How many Facebook friends do you have? 50? 150? 1500? Whether you’re new to Web 2.0 (or social networking or whatever you want to call it) or a MySpace convert or a Facebook OG, chances are you’ve added some peeps to your profile. I have 170 Facebook friends at the moment, which certainly isn’t a huge number. Still, that’s a lot of profiles to stalk, and since...

Apr 24th

MediaBox 5: What They Play.

Way back — back when this here blog was just starting out — I posted some links on the right side of the page. Most of these have been detailed through various allusions and post thereafter. But one in particular has gone unexplained: What They Play. Allow me to establish one well-known (but occasionally forgotten) fact: I am a nerd. I could blame it on my Nintendo-filled...

Apr 23rd

4corners: Earth Day/Wednesday Edition

There was a time when 4corners was going to be a Friday staple. Life has a funny way of making such things wholly inconvenient. Anyway, here’s four things on my mind right now: It’s Earth Day today. Why not make everyday a bit more earthy? Save power while using your computer, search with Blackle (instead of Google), and eat some local food. The sentence above is not parallel in...

Apr 22nd

Causes 2: TOMS Commercial/One Day

It’s taken some time, but TOMS is finally getting some mainstream recognition. I’ve been preaching TOMS for the better part of a year now, but I was worried that this weirdly charitable shoe company would forever be a footnote in hipster history. Not so fast, says AT&T: Talk about a win-win situation. AT&T hawks their worldwide network, and Blake gets TOMS on TV. And...

Apr 16th

ChurchLife 1: The Post-Easter Awakening

In case you missed it, Easter is over. The ham has been eaten, the candy is now 50% off at many fine retailers, and churches are empty-ish again. He rose again (again), and everything’s back to normal. It was a crazy Easter season at Indian River, which isn’t unusual. Our annual Easter Egg fund-raiser — a month-long process of preparing and selling delicious chocolate Easter...

Apr 15th

Apr 8th

1square Blog Nugget 5: Two Things About Food 1. If you haven’t gotten in on the debate yet, you need to. Peaches, or Pears? Pick your favorite, and leave a comment. 2. Got a little free time? Play this fun (and challenging) word game and donate some food to needy folks: www.freerice.com This blog will return to form following some obscene busyness. Tyler

Apr 8th

Blog Nugget 4: A Question. When you’re checking out a webpage—this blog, for example—what’s your preference when it comes to links? New window? Same window? Do you even click them? Leave a comment (please), and let me know. I promise to get back to proper blogging soon. Thank goodness for my Tumblr widget… Tyler

Apr 1st

Need a hero?

God bless America. Tyler

Apr 1st

1square Blog Nugget 3: ____ Week Navy SEALs have Hell Week, the final challenge to our most well-trained military personnel. Limits are tested. Spirits are broken. Disaster is always looming… IRBC has Egg Week. I miss my egg-free existence. Tyler

Apr 1st

1square Blog Nugget 2: Have you clicked today? http://tinyurl.com/2rdph4 Potential for more blogging later. Tyler

Mar 27th

TOMS: For a better tomorrow.

I’m a fan of a great many things—movies, video games, mellow white-boy rock music, etc. You might even call me an enthusiast at times, but my enthusiasm rarely takes me beyond the realm of overly long (and often verbose) rants on particular subjects. Aside from Jesus, I don’t do much preaching. TOMS is the exception. For TOMS, I am a proselyte and a preacher. A walking...

Mar 26th

1square Blog Nugget: Mindy got me Coldplay tickets for my birthday! This text does not properly convey my excitement. Also, groomsmen gifts are in the works. Just wait ‘til you see what I’ve dreamed up… Tyler

Mar 24th

4corners: Fail Edition

Remember how I was going to do some blogging last week? You know, something for ChurchLife (a still-unlaunched 1square feature) and another installment of the ever-so-random 4corners? Funny story: My computer’s battery died, and I left the charger at work. Then I forgot to take my computer to work to recharge it, and proceeded to leave the charger there. Again. Fail. I had even written...

Mar 23rd

MediaBox 4: Peggle

I know, I know…there are a lot of media posts here so far. Welcome to my life. Don’t fret, and look forward to a ChurchLife entry later this week (as well as the previously promised 4corners). Now, to business: How’s your Wednesday? Were you being productive? Has the mid-week slump hit yet? Let me fix you up. Meet Peggle, the single most addictive puzzle game I’ve...

Mar 18th

4corners: Overdue Edition

Maintaining a blog is hard. I never got around to doing this last week, but you should be excited that you’ll get two editions of 4corners this week. That’s how much I love you. 4corners: Four things on my mind this very minute. I didn’t open my laptop once this weekend. I didn’t really miss it, so I might try for some more computer-free weekends in the future. The...

Mar 16th

Listen

Mar 13th