Feat or Flop?

It's the clash of two titans: Ethics vs. Curiosity.


If someone told you they broke into a sacred site and filmed what they saw, what would you think? What if the site has never been filmed before, and the video footage will answer people's questions or strengthen their faith? Do they have a right to keep these places under lock and key...or do we have a right to know?


In my latest article for crosswalk.com, I talk with documentary producer and host Brandon Trones about his guerilla filming techniques in the Holy Land for his new documentary...and about what the 40 day pilgrimage and fast he performed while he did his filming means to him and to us.


Holy Land Pilgrimage Goes Extreme in The Road Less Traveled


Read it and tell us what you think about these kind of extreme religious behaviors. Is it a feat, or a flop?

A married bachelor's 10-step, fool-proof plan

There comes a time in every married man's life when he must relive his past. I'm not talking about a mid-life crisis or a counseling session on a shrink's couch where you talk about your childhood. I'm talking about resurrecting those bittersweet days as a bachelor.


Oh, that time in the past when hearing someone describe your apartment as "a real bachelor pad" was a badge of honor. "That's right, baby. This is an art-free, candle-free, kitchen towel-free, toilet paper-free zone." You want to see some Monet or some little bubbling pots of potpourri, then go see a chick. If you want to admire my stereo and play some xbox, then push that pile of unfolded laundry to the side and have a seat. Those were the days, right?


Times have changed. Now my dinners include vegetables, my coffee table is stacked with candles, my car hasn't broken down in like, six months, and my socks smell like fabric softener. I'm clothed, seated, and in my right mind.


In other words, now I'm married.


But, for the last few weeks, strange things have been happening. Suddenly, I can't find the key to the mailbox, or my phone, or the salt shaker. Suddenly, pizza boxes are sprouting up around the kitchen again, like weeds in an unattended garden. Sarah, the civilizing force in my life, has been traveling. So, I'm The Bachelor once again.


I've been reading a lot of books about being married and keeping your woman happy. I'm not going to lie - I'm a walking encyclopedia on the inner workings of the female mind. So, while Sarah's away, I've decided to put all knowledge to work.


They say that when a woman's gone, she wants to know she was missed. She wants to feel appreciated and feel like you are a part of your life you can't do without. So, I've come up with a 10-step, fool-proof plan for letting Sarah know just how much she means to me:

• 1.  Order pizza like, every day. You can eat that thing for lunch and dinner. Brilliant.
• 2.  Play xbox. 
• 3.  Don't shave. For two weeks.
• 4.  Put off all essential home and work tasks. Once panic and confusion set in, procrastinate with more xbox.
• 5.  Text her every day to ask her, "When's trash day? XOXO"
• 6.  Roll up used kitchen towels and stuff them into random drawers.
• 7.  Bury the bills under some fast food wrappers on the table. The power company won't mind a little hot sauce.
• 8.  Sell the couch and buy a massive comfy chair. That's what happens when you only need seating for one.
• 9.  Run out of clean bowls and use the potpourri dish for morning cereal. Leave said dish in the sink with a few cheerios attached, for effect. 
• 10.  Pick her up from the airport wearing the exact the same outfit I dropped her off in last week. Explain the fact that my shirt smells like my apartment used to smell when we were dating by telling her that's just the pheromones in my new cologne. When that doesn't work, tell her I'm just kidding - I'm really in a focus group that's testing out dryer sheets that smell like deer urine. Those bucks'll never see me coming now.

The way I see it, the moment Sarah comes back, she'll immediately see how important she is to me and how I could never live without her. Jackpot.

If this goes well, I'll probably write a marriage book. I've got a lot of other fool-proof plans the men of America need to know about. 


You can thank me in advance.

My Monday (to the tune of the 12 days of christmas)

....ahem.

...5 hours of class.

4 movie clips

3 papers

2 rental decks

and a wife packing for her next trip.

:)

Tiger by the Tail: My very first political cartoon...

Click on the image to enlarge...

Wildman reviews new, controversial Dan Brown book for The Fish

My, review of The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown's follow-up to The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, is now up at thefish.com. The Fish is a new Salem site that takes "a Christian look @ pop culture." I'm happy to be picked up by this second site. They've also picked up a couple of my previous articles for crosswalk.com. That's fun!

The Lost Symbol a controversial book because many Christian readers don't appreciate the irreverent tone Brown takes regarding Jesus and the Bible. That's one way to look at it.

But, I talk about another way to see the book and its message. If you're thinking about reading it, or have decided you absolutly won't read it, check out my angle:

http://www.thefish.com/books/reviews/11609233/

And just for fun, build your own Dan Brown novel with the Dan Brown Plot Generator.