Ever wikipedia'd your alma (doesn't) mater?

Are you one of those people who didn't buy a school ring because nobody will have ever heard of your alma mater when you tell them the name? Raise your ringless hand. Me, too. Those of you who've attended a school with a name people recognize don't have this problem. Texas? OK. Arizona State? Yep. Oklahoma Baptist University? Umm, is that one of those print-your-own-diploma jobbies?

Well, if you ever wonder if anyone that matriculated at your no-name school amounted to much, try doing an online search for a list of notable alumni. I did, and I found a cool list of some crazy characters that once haunted the same halls of learning at OBU. Kind of a fun way to catch at bit of school spirit...and see whose paths you've unknowingly crossed!

I guess I'm ok with being a Bison...

NY pickpockets weren't our biggest worry...

So, apparently we were taking our life in our hands with our recent trip to New York. Of course we expected the need to clutch backpacks and handbags a bit closer than usual, and to keep an eye out for the cops when browsing for bootleg purses. But, as we boarded our ferry each morning and evening to and from our hotel on the Jersey shore, we never thought to keep an eye on the skies above and watch for falling objects.

As it turns out, we should have kept our eyes out for falling aircraft. At least twice a day, we crossed the flight paths of both US Airways flight 1549 and of this weeks' mid-air helicopter / small airplane crash in the Hudson River. All three doomed aircraft splashed into the waters mere yards from our hotel. Glad we turned down the helicopter tour!

Here's a short virtual tour showing our ferry landing and hotel in relation to the two crash sites. Both crash locations are based on US Coast Guard latitude and longitude coordinates and flight record data.

Hudson River Crashes Tour from Owen Wildman on Vimeo.

video on a shoestring

Here's an artifact from my busy summer! Sarah and I were able to collaborate on this vision video for a new ministry start-up. They have a creative idea for reaching out to women who are faced with an unwanted pregnancy and considering an abortion.

With zero dollars for a budget, we were able to put this HD video together using borrowed lights and an antiquated camera. Sarah produced and co-wrote the script with me, and I built the final project. We really enjoy working together on media every change we get!

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things chicks can say to you that you can't say back

Have you ever experienced a moment when your significant other -- be it a wife, fiancee, or girlfriend -- says something to you that you could never say back? Maybe she intends the remark to be a compliment. Maybe she's poking fun at some quirky masculine trait. Well, if it's a comment you can't reply to with a, "Me too, honey" then it's officially a "TCCSTYCB" -- a Thing Chicks Can Say To You That You Can't Say Back. Or, a CSB (Can't Say Back), for short.

My sweet Sarah is usually a kindhearted soul, but sometimes her attempts at verbal afirmation lose something in the trip from her feminine mind to my ears. I've started keeping track of our CSB moments. As a way to demonstrate the differences in how guys and gals communicate, and to save my fellow man from stumbling into a conversational booby trap unawares I'm going to share an occasional CSB for our mutual edification.

CSB #1:

After a late night run to our neighborhood Super Target, S and I are tossing our grocery bags in the back seat of the Four (that's what we call our 4-Runner). The final bag lands in the back seat, and as I turn the cart around to put it in the corral, Sarah smiles and says, "I love when you go shopping with me. You're so big!"

"Aww, you're so sweet. Me, toooooo Oh...wait a second!" What is she saying? Like, she's happy she won't have to carry the groceries in from the truck because I'm going to inhale them all on the way home? Or, my massive bulk blocks other carts from entering the store isles so she can dash in and get the last of the sale items? Or, I'm easy to buy food for because I apparently will eat anything? Errr...thanks. I think?

This is a classic CSB. You can't say, "You're welcome, your so big, too." If you do, your relationship is about to change. Drastically.The upside is she'll never ever ask you, "Does this dress make me look fat?" ever again. Pretty much got that one answered. The down side is, you will either be slapped for being naughty, or slapped for being mean.

When your gal compliments you for being so big you can carry all the shopping bags in one trip or because you deter thugs in dark parking lots, a simple thanks will do. Don't go into auto pilot on this one and do the quick, "Me, too." It's a total CSB.

My latest article for Crosswalk.com

It's been a busy summer. There's a lot in my notebook I need to share. So much, in fact, that the thought of siting down and typing it all out is too intimidating. Thus, I'm going to start posting a few snippets here and there.

Here's one of those snippets: People are actually paying me to write. Not just paying me compliments. We're talking cash. And it's fun! I review books and media for a well-known Christian website called Crosswalk.com. Here's my latest review:


Life After Rwandan Genocide Depicted in As We Forgive - Movie Review

If you go check it out, be sure to give it 5 stars, and leave a comment! If you end up watching, let me know what you think.