Dirty Shoes

Another good one from grandma:

I showered and shaved...... ....... I adjusted my tie.

I got there and sat......... ..... In a pew just in time.

Bowing my head in prayer...... ... As I closed my eyes.

I saw the shoe of the man next to me..... Touching my own I sighed.

With plenty of room on either side...... I thought, "Why must our soles
touch?"

It bothered me, his shoe touching mine... But it didn't bother him much.

A prayer began: "Our Father".. ........ I thought, "This man with the
shoes.. has no pride.

They're dusty, worn, and scratched. Even worse, there are holes on the
side!"

"Thank You for blessings," the prayer went on.

The shoe man said........ ....... a quiet "Amen."

I tried to focus on the prayer...... . But my thoughts were on his shoes
again.

Aren't we supposed to look our best.. When walking through that door?

"Well, this certainly isn't it," I thought, Glancing toward the floor.

Then the prayer was ended....... ..... And the songs of praise began.

The shoe man was certainly loud...... Sounding proud as he sang.

His voice lifted the rafters. .... His hands were raised high.

The Lord could surely hear.. The shoe man's voice from the sky.

It was time for the offering.... ... And what I threw in was steep.

I watched as the shoe man reached.... Into his pockets so deep.

I saw what was pulled out......... . What the shoe man put in.

Then I heard a soft "clink" . as when silver hits tin.

The sermon really bored me.......... To tears, and that's no lie.

It was the same for the shoe man... For tears fell from his eyes.

At the end of the service..... . As is the custom here.

We must greet new visitors.. And show them all good cheer.

But I felt moved somehow..... ........ And wanted to meet the shoe man.

So after the closing prayer...... .. I reached over and shook his hand.

He was old and his skin was dark..... And his hair was truly a mess.

But I thanked him for coming...... .. For being our guest.

He said, "My names' Charlie..... . I'm glad to meet you, my friend."

There were tears in his eyes....... But he had a large, wide grin.

"Let me explain," he said........ . Wiping tears from his eyes.

"I've been coming here for months.... And you're the first to say 'Hi.'"

"I know that my appearance.. ......."Is not like all the rest.

"But I really do try......... ........" To always look my best."

"I always clean and polish my shoes.."Before my very long walk.

"But by the time I get here........ ."They're dirty and dusty, like chalk."

My heart filled with pain........ .... and I swallowed to hide my tears.

As he continued to apologize... ..... For daring to sit so near.

He said, "When I get here........ ..."I know I must look a sight.

"But I thought if I could touch you.."Then maybe our souls might unite."

I was silent for a moment...... ...... Knowing whatever was said

Would pale in comparison.. . I spoke from my heart, not my head.

"Oh, you've touched me," I said......"And taught me, in part;

"That the best of any man......... ..."Is what is found in his heart."

The rest, I thought,.... ......... ... This shoe man will never know.

Like just how thankful I really am... That his dirty old shoe touched my
soul

Laptop To Pocket Comp...

It's official... the Japanese have made something as simple as this:

...function as well as your desktop:

I got word of this via email. A quick search on snopes didn't bring anything up, nor did a quick search on google. I'll research more and get the real scoop on these things!

A Wedding in Greece...

Here are some photos from a wedding I attended while in Greece (nearly a year ago now). I know... I'm way behind.

Words

"Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little."

~Luke 7:47, KJV

"At every moment of our lives, we all have one foot in a fairy tale and the other in the abyss..."

~Paulo Coelho, 11 Minutes

Hymn to Isis

For I am the first and the last
I am the venerated and the despised
I am the prostitute and the saint
I am the wife and the virgin
I am the mother and the daughter
I am the arms of my mother
I am barren and my children are many
I am the married woman and the spinster
I am the woman who gives birth and she
who never procreated
I am the consolation for the pain of birth
I am the wife and the husband
And it was my man who created me
I am the mother of my father
I am the sister of my husband
And he is my rejected son
Always respect me
For I am the shameful and the magnificent one

Ridiculous Vocals

Posted on Youtube just over two weeks ago. More than 2 million views. Enough said. I'll let the video speak for itself... and you really don't want to miss this one.

Geez...

Crazy Dream

I woke up rather early this morning and had time to go back to sleep... so I did. The dream that ensued during that extra sleep was rather weird. You're all going to think I'm crazy:

I dreamt that I was visiting my family at home where I grew up. It was a wonderful summer day, my mom, D and I were outside and most of the neighbors were outside as well. Then, suddenly, a militant group barreled onto our quiet, peaceful suburban street out of nowhere. Immediately, young soldiers filed off their big jeeps, machine guns in hand, and scattered to various houses putting the residents at gunpoint. My family was corned into our garage, though fortunately my little brother and sister were inside. Just my mom, D and I were outside. The higher-ranked, older soldiers stayed on their transports while the young ones were charging at the residents. The soldier putting my fam and I at gunpoint was outwardly nervous... trembling, sweating profusely. I went to hit the button to the garage to shut it thinking it would lock us off from the other militants, then we could charge the nervous one with us and try to disarm him. But D went to hit the button again and reopened the garage, making us vulnerable to all the other militants again. I couldn't fathom why. (Again dream here). We were all crouched down hiding behind things, but "our" militant pretty much had his gun trained on my mom. I was getting more and more angered about that and after a few moments I simply got up from where I was crouching and walked toward "our" nervous militant. He immediately turned his machine gun on me. Then I just started talking to him, telling him he didn't want to do this and to put the gun down. He just kept looking more and more nervous. D and my mom were yelling at me to get away... I was simply attempting to draw the gun toward myself as opposed to anyone else. Then a whistle blew and the various militants scattered at the different households grabbed all the young adults and kids and hauled them off to the jeeps. I was one of them. They left all the parents behind. Jake and Serena escaped because they were inside and no one went in. So, we were hauled onto these jeeps and taken away. We were apparently being taken away to be sold in the foreign slave trade.

Then my dream cut to a scene where we were traveling in a location I couldn't place... at night. All of the young captives were wide-eyed, frightened, crouched and lip-locked... except me. The only militants that interacted with us really were the young ones. I started talking to one of them asking why there were doing this... response from one leisurely puffing on his cig, machine gun slung over his back was along the lines of "Easy way to get lots of cash, the world is facing deadly rebellion, America is a major target, American slaves are popular because there is such a hatred for Americans..." so he figured he'd get in on the deal before he became a captive himself. He said the trend for American abductions on American turf was becoming more and more of a reality every day. I don't remember giving much of a response. I just remember thinking I had to try and become more of an actual person with these young militants instead of just another captive... develop a rapport with them... make them sort of trust me. So I started chatting with them, joking with them, "shooting the shit" so to speak. The other captives, most younger than me, some my age, all looked at me like I was nuts and a traitor for cavorting with the enemy. They all just kept their mouths shut... scared. I was thinking though, that the moment they let their guard down with me I was going to be ready to stab the suckers and make my getaway. We were then taken to this factory warehouse, no idea where, where there were other rebels, including some girls. Already, the young militants were getting more lax with me and enjoyed toying/joking with me. They turned their back for a second when I drifted behind when we were being shuffled off the jeeps. There was a stack of mail in a corner on a dirty crate with a letter opener. I went to grab it and hide it on my person, but when I looked up I saw they were giving all the captives pat downs before they boarded them on a plane. I dropped the letter opener knowing they'd find it and got at the end of the line. One other captive saw me and started to understand what I was up to... I got my pat down (letter opener free unfortunately) and proceeded with the others toward the plane. The captive that saw me started sticking with me and joining in on chatting with the young militants...

Then my alarm meant to wake me for Spanish class went off... and my dream was cut short. I woke up thinking "what the heck? And what makes me think I would have such courage." Very odd, detailed dream. I mentioned it to a friend... he said if anything else it's a good plot line for a movie: slave trade kidnappings in everyday America - the land of opportunity. Once he said it, I thought so too... hence why I wanted to get it all down before I forgot.

Just in case you all think I'm crazy though... I've never had a dream like that before... so I'm just beginning to go crazy... I wasn't already crazy or anything. :) Don't steal my script!

Ham It Up... With the Cow that Loves Chicken

Is it illegal to plagiarize yourself? Haha. This is a post I just did for www.agwired.com, word for word.

It’s a fun way to get a wad of cash… well, a Savings Bond for $1,000 to be exact. Chick-fil-A wants to get consumers involved in it’s “Eat Mor Chikin” campaign, so the food chain is hosting an online photo contest. When you spot that clever little cow urging you to opt for the chicken, start clicking those shutters.

It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words, which is why Chick-fil-A(R) is encouraging its younger fans to do the talking for them by participating in its “Show us the Cow” contest. The online contest, announced today in partnership with Spot What!(TM) children’s books, invites youngsters to have their parents upload pictures that include the Chick-fil-A “Eat Mor Chikin(R)” Cow at various spots around the world. Once the pictures are uploaded to http://www.showusthecow.com/, the public can vote for their favorite photo.

Eat Mor ChikinFrom June 25 through Sept. 30, children age 10 and younger are encouraged to work together with an adult to take and submit photos featuring the “Eat Mor Chikin” Cows in a creative way — whether it’s in front of the Statue of Liberty or at a family picnic. The cows can be costumed, stuffed or even a paper cut-out, as long as they’re included in the photo. The Web site will provide details about uploading photos for the contest.

The Grand Prize Winner will receive a United States Series EE Savings Bond with a maturity value of $1,000, a catered party for their classroom, free Chick-fil-A Kid’s Meals for a year and a digital camera, among other gifts. Additional prizes will be awarded to the contestants of the 40 photos that receive the most votes, as well as to the top 10 finalists as selected by the judges.


The contest details will first appear on the inside back cover of the four different Spot WHAT! book titles, which will be provided individually with the purchase of a Chick-fil-A Kid’s Meal this summer. This series of children’s books, from publisher Frederick Thomas, introduces children to fun, visual puzzles and easy-to-read clues. Each puzzle includes an “Eat Mor Chikin” Cow as an additional element of surprise.

“The ‘Show Us the Cow’ promotion is a fun and creative way for families to interact with the Chick-fil-A brand,” said Angela Savage, senior creative services consultant for Chick-fil-A. “The Chick-fil-A Kid’s Meal Program is committed to bringing children quality food as well as fun and educational activities.”

Chick-fil-A has a long-standing commitment to providing premiums that promote adult-child interaction and that emphasize the importance of strong character and education. During 2007, Kid’s Meals will include exciting premiums such as CD-ROMs, storybooks, mystery games and more.

An Interesting Little Story My Grandma Passed Along...

ARE YOU WAITING TO BE CALLED?

Back when the telegraph was the fastest method of long-distance
communication, a young man applied for a job as a Morse Code operator.
Answering an ad in the newspaper, he went to the office address that was
listed.

When he arrived, he entered a large, busy office filled with noise and
clatter, including the sound of the telegraph in the background. A sign on
the receptionist's counter instructed job applicants to fill out a form and
wait until they were summoned to enter the inner office.

The young man filled out his form and sat down with the seven other
applicants in the waiting area. After a few minutes, the young man stood up,
crossed the room to the door of the inner office, and walked right in.

Naturally the other applicants perked up, wondering what was going on. They
muttered among themselves that they hadn't heard any summons yet.

They assumed that the young man who went into the office made a mistake and
would be disqualified.

Within a few minutes, however, the employer escorted the young man out of
the office and said to the other applicants, "Gentlemen, thank you very much
for coming, but the job has just been filled."

The other applicants began grumbling to each other, and one spoke up saying,
"Wait a minute, I don't understand. He was the last to come in, and we never
even got a chance to be interviewed. Yet he got the job. That's not fair!"

The employer said, "I'm sorry, but the last several minutes while you've
been sitting here, the telegraph has been ticking out the following message
in Morse Code: 'If you understand this message, then come right in. The job
is yours.' None of you heard it or understood it. This young man did. The
job is his."

We are so busy living in a world that is full of noise and clatter, like
that office. People are distracted and unable to hear the still, small voice
of God as He speaks in creation, in the Scriptures, and in the life and work
of Jesus Christ.

So I ask you, as I ask myself, "Are you listening, or are you waiting to be
called? Do you hear the Lord when he speaks to you?

-- Author Unknown

Faircast for Fair Fans!

That Switchfoot interview I mentioned is finally posted. However, still working out some kinks with the other editors of the site to offer the audio directly through a player on the post... as of now if you click download it will just take you to another page with the player to play the audio. And, I'm not going to lie... Chad seemed pretty distracted throughout the interview. But he does mention deep-fried snickers and rickety roller coasters!

Perfil Espanol

Información general
Nombre: Me llamo Laura McNamara
Sexo: Soy embra
Interesando en: hombres
Buscando: amistad
La fecha de cumpleaños: 16 julio 1985
Natal: Soy de St. Charles
Religión: Soy cristiana

Información de contacto
Dirección electrónica: lcmcnamara16@gmail.com
Pueblo corriente: Resido en Columbia, MO

Información personal
Actividades: español, italiano, la fotografia, el viajar, las películas, observar la gente, fútbol, corer, escalda, baloncest, diseño grafíco, el baile

Interéses: el viajar, los deportes (¡todos!), las lenguas extranjeras, las culturas extranjeras, la fotografia, la música, el baile (particularmente la salsa), el leiendo, la gente, la vida

La música favorita: la música alternativa, classica, reggae, r&b, latina y cristiana (David Gray, John Legend, Colbie Callait, Billy Joel, Bocelli, Pavarotti, Jonny Lang, Sergio Mendes, Red Hot Chili Peppers, UB40, Jeremy Riddle, Jeremy Camp, Mercy Me, Chris Tomlin, Alicia Keys, Los Desterrados…)

Las películas favoritas: Boondock Saints, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Gladiator, 300, Under the Tuscan Sun, Love Actually, Pirates of the Carribean, Kingdom of Heaven, The Godfather I II III, Sound of Music, The Last Samurai, Memoirs of a Geisha, Crash, Motorcycle Diaries

Las programas de televisíones favoritas: Grey’s Anatomy, Rome, Sopranos, algo a los canales de Discovery, National Geographic y Travel…

Los libros favoritos: Tale of Two Cities, The Bible, For Love of a Horse, Che, The Giver, The Bridge to Terabithia, The Yearling, The Alchemist, Mere Christianity, The Sacred Romance, The 21 Indespensible Qualities of a Leader…

Las citares: "Terrible idea... don't you just love those?" ~Under the Tuscan Sun
"Never lose your childish enthusiasm." ~Under the Tuscan Sun
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness."~Mark Twain
"I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it." ~Unknown
"I'll catch you on the flip side..." ~Rocco, Boondock Saints
“Passion captivates; an educated passion motivates.” ~Me

Acerca de me: ¡Hola¡ Me llamo Laura McNamara. Me gradué de Universidad de Missiouri con un diploma periodisma en 2003. No soy estudiantil ahora, sino teno una clase de español para divertido. Soy una periodista free-lance. Denucio de various aconteciemtos, actualmente Indy 500 y Missouri State Fair. En pocas palabras, qué ves es qué obtenes y no soy nada fuera de maravillosa.

Dance

MO State Fair Affair

Just wanted to give you all the link to the latest addition of websites I'm contributing to. Actually, this one is all me. The posts on this Website promote the Missouri State Fair. Pretty fun! Some of the graphics are LMAC creations. I hope to get better as I go... The posts will get better as we get closer too. In fact, I'm getting ready to interview the drummer from Switchfoot in less than an hour because the band is performing at the fair. The interview will be featured in the first weekly podcast on that site. I'll let you all know when it's posted.

Some of you might not realize that you know Switchfoot. Here are some videos of the band's popular songs.

Keeping Grandma in Thoughts and Prayers...

I know grandma's in the hospital right now and feeling some discomfort. Nothing too major I'm told, but I'm praying for her health and relief.

Mom, Damian... need to teach Vanilla this one!

I Miss Vanilla!

Just wanted to give a shout out to the pup. I miss that adorable little bundle of cuddle! Can't wait to go back home Saturday and visit her!

So Simple.

I just discovered this song by Stacie Orrico. It perfectly describes what's in my heart... I love it!

So Simple lyrics by Stacie Orrico.

(It could all be so simple, simple)

Don't need high heels
For a good feel
You can keep the fancy clothes
I'll take walkin in the rain
Over things material
I'll trade Melrose and the big names
Give me faces that I know
Just play a melody that everybody knows

Take it down, down, down
And strip it to the core
I don't really need much less is more, more, more

CHORUS:
True to life, true to me
The way it's got to be
So simple, so simple, so simple
Live to love, love to be
Absolutely free
(so simple, so simple, simple)

Give me wisdom, plain and truthful
Teach me somethin I don't know
Plain as education, inspiration I suppose (yeah yeah)
Give me family, on a Sunday
And I'll be just fine
There's nothing in the world
That's worth more of my time

Take it down, down, down
And strip it to the core
I don't really need much less is more, more, more

-CHORUS x2-

Livin my dream, is my song to the world
(let 'em hear it)
Sharin' my soul and spirit
I'm hopin that you hear it
Got one (one) life (life) to live (live)
It's only what you make it (make it)
Every new day's a chance worth takin

-CHORUS x2-

Introducing Vanilla...

A "wonderful dog"...

Crossover

I'm heading to the Lake of the Ozarks to catch some great bands in action today. The Crossover Music Festival is featuring some big artists including Jars of Clay, Mercy Me, and Big Daddy Weave. It's going on today and tomorrow afternoon/evening.

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish

This is a speech from Steve Jobs made at Standford's graduation ceremony. Jobs is the creator of MAC, who was also fired from MAC. He's got a TON of good messages. My friend Jeronimo shared the speech with me. I thought I would share it with all of you.

Photoshop Fun

In pursuit of designing my very own business cards, I stumbled upon a website that gives tutorials on how to make different graphics with Photoshop. My very first creation is a "crystal globe". How cool is that? I made that globe simply with layering, blurring, gradienting and cropping various multiples of shapes. So feast your eyes out on the LMAC's first ever graphic! It was so fun to make... can't wait to make more! I'm just scratching the surface on what Photoshop enables one to do with just a little time and creativity ...

I'm definitely cultivating a STRONG interest in graphic Web design!

Country Adventures

Setting sail as a crew member on a yacht for a summer, lodging high in the mountains at a ski resort for the winter, corralling cattle as a ranch hand for a season... I want to experience each. And it looks like the rural, rugged experience is becoming more and more accessible. KAPPA's Country Adventures describes itself as an online mall of sorts where you can find rural, outdoor, adventure escapes, or laid-back, country retreats or even just some good 'ol country grub. I'm going to book an outdoor adventure... anyone want to join me?

I Crave Slow Food

My dearest mother mentioned a new movement she heard about on the radio called Slow Food. It's based out of Italy but it's becoming an international movement with a continually growing chapter here in the US. The movement is all about quality products crafted with time, care and expertise... no big manufactures cranking out machine-made, chemical-injected, processed junk... instead, hand-made, labor-intensive, resource-rich goods. It's not just about food, it's about lifestyle... the very lifestyle I LOVE in Europe. That lifestyle is nearly extinct in America and it is certainly endangered in the rest of the world.

Here's how the movement describes itself:

We believe that everyone has a fundamental right to pleasure and consequently the responsibility to protect the heritage of food, tradition and culture that make this pleasure possible. Our movement is founded upon this concept of eco-gastronomy – a recognition of the strong connections between plate and planet.

Slow Food is good, clean and fair food. We believe that the food we eat should taste good; that it should be produced in a clean way that does not harm the environment, animal welfare or our health; and that food producers should receive fair compensation for their work.

We consider ourselves co-producers, not consumers, because by being informed about how our food is produced and actively supporting those who produce it, we become a part of and a partner in the production process.

Too Cute!

These are just a couple of snapshots of this adorable little boy who was apart of the EPIC crew during my Indy 500 coverage. Adorable!

That's a $10,000 wheel by the way that Jeff Simmons uses in his Indy Series races...