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30.5.05

On Travel

I wrote the following back in November of 2004 (but didn't post it here), but every time I read it I get a smile...
I'm doing a little traveling right now. Traveling is always fun for me, but I'd hate to be one who travels with me, as I never really know where I'm ending up next. This week, I woke up in a state that I wasn't expecting to visit. Kinda freaked me out, but at least I wasn't driving.

To me the journey is almost more important than the destination. There are so many places to uncover and explore if you stop now and then along the journey. If you are dead set on the destination, you might miss a sight, smell, taste, or even major event in between point "A" and "B". I've found some of my favorite spots on this earth by accident.

More times that not, I travel alone. I love the opportunity to change my destination, alter my plans, pick where I lay my weary head, and explore at my own pace. It is nice to not have to have a quorum to determine what food style to consume, what bus to catch, or how much walking is too much walking. Don't get me wrong, I love traveling with others too. But the more I wander, the more particular I am in my travel companions. There are some out there who I wouldn't travel to Walmart with, yet others who I look forward to our next adventure on this tiny little planet.

Currently listening to: A Girl Called Eddy -

Posted by Ryan at 06:40 0 comments have been left. Where is your comment?

28.5.05

I've Got Scars From the Wars

I'm a little disappointed tonight... You ask why? Well, today I saw what could be some of the worst acting since Dude Where's My Car? When I told others of my lack of joy in the film, they said, but it is part of a classic tale... but the special effects, but the.... You know what I don't grade my movies on a curve just because an actor has been good in other films, the director has made amazing films, or the special effects team have created remarkable visuals. I take each movie for what it is, and this one just wasn't. I saw characters that were so one dimensional, I could see through them (and at times actually did). I heard dialog that was worse than most high school plays. And talk about a guy going from fairly good to "Child killer bad" in one minute flat. Wow, I guess there wasn't a whole lot of time to work on character development... Oh wait, you had three films to do that. In the end, I don't agree with many that this film made up for the first two in the series. It might have made up for the first one, if you are generous.

At least the popcorn was good, and the movie was free.

Posted by Ryan at 09:58 0 comments have been left. Where is your comment?

27.5.05

Removing the Danger

First they took away our lawn darts. Now it looks like the game of Chubby Bunnies might be next. Before long all the dangerous things that were a part of childhoods past will be gone. No wonder why some of my students request a band-aid for a papercut.

But you can still do the truffle shuffle till you get a brain freeze.

Currently listening to: The Frames -

Posted by Ryan at 17:35 0 comments have been left. Where is your comment?

Movie Questions

Der Iron Chef tossed the following questions for me to answer on my blog. And yes this did come from his site, and is not some lame excuse for me to sell advertising space on my site.
Try Netflix For Free.

Dang, how did that get there... oh well, on to the questions.

1. Total number of films on DVD - 220
2. Last film I bought - Supersize Me
3. Last film I watched - Spirit of Jeet Keun Do
4. Five films I watch a lot or that mean a lot to me:
Better Off Dead - This is just pure comedy gold. A good mix of heartache, skiing, romance and good fun.
Unbreakable - M. Night has done some amazing work. This is my favorite. Not to mention my parents and neighbors thought I was unbreakable - I rarely get sick.
The Big Kahuna - Such a thought provoking film. I think this should be required viewing at any Christian collage, and yes, without the TV guardian to take out the "bad" words.
Daddy Day Care - I laugh every time I see this film. Maybe it is because I feel I can relate to some grown up males running a day care. Plus I own the cape and t-shirt worn by Steve Zahn in the film.
Breakfast Club - Don't overlook the insight in this film just cause it came from the eighties. I can't begin to count the many times I've felt like I was in my own little breakfast club, a bunch of people tossed together who might not have usually bonded. How often I've wondered, what would happen if we met in the "real" world.

Honorable mention - Meatballs ("It Just Doesn't Matter"), A Mighty Wind, Office Space, American Splendor, Big Fish, Lost In Translation, and Million Dollar Hotel.
5. Tag five people and have them put this in their journal/blog/website:
How 'bout Chris, Bah, Im, and the first two other people who want to take the challenge. If you want to, do it and then post a link in my comment section.

Currently watching:

Posted by Ryan at 09:42 0 comments have been left. Where is your comment?

26.5.05

Star Wars - Post II

Last night Star Wars opened here in Korea. So here is my second, and hopefully last post about that movie... Here is how to How to upset a nerd . And here is proof why Star Wars fans should not reproduce. Guess they didn't watch the Lightsabor Saftey video.

About the same time I posted my Star Wars entry, my brother sent the following email to a friend. He then sent me a copy, and with his permission I post it here, as a follow up to the post. And to show that I'm not the only Cordell who is slightly funny and nerdy. So enjoy....

And so it ends. The wait that started between a couple of friends in homeroom some 16 years ago will soon be over. In about 24 hours, I will be planted firmly in a theater seat holding my breath as the blue font silently appears, reminding me that what is about to take place actually occured quite some time ago and quite a good distance away from here. (several thousand parsecs, I believe)

Who would have thought that in that time, we would inhabit foreign countries, find spouses willing to put up with us, and for a short time be sidetracked by a hobbit and his own adventurous trilogy.

It's almost sad to think that thousands of men and women will wake up groggy Thursday morning with an unnameable emptiness. That is, until they remember that Star Wars 3-D, Star Wars: the animated series, and Star Wars: the live action TV drama will all be just around the corner. Ah, the force is truly with us. Always.

So here's to us. We didn't wait in our pajamas for days on end for tickets. We didn't borrow our mom's credit card and station wagon to rush out to the ToysRUs midnight sales event. We didn't even drive over to Indianapolis dressed up as the Rancor Keeper to participate in the biggest Star Wars convention ever. But we persevered none the less. We waited just as long as that 42-year old single guy who works at Taco Bell, just waiting for that special someone to pull up to the drive-up window with buns on her ears and the figure to fit into his homemade Slave Leia costume hanging in his closet right next to the Deanna Troi short blue uniform skirt. And like him, we will cheer once again when Yoda flicks his saber to life. When the first labored breathing of Vader is heard. When Jar-Jar is finally struck dead by a rabid womprat.

For in the end, we are nerds. Not the kind of nerds that form their own fraternity and stand up to the jocks. Not the kind of nerds that spend after hours hanging out with Howard Hessman. Not even the kind of nerds that that come in two separate flavors and are really just sugar-coated sugar. We are the nerds that still lay awake at night trying to figure out how to build a lightsaber out of a fluorescent light. Or wonder "if I really concentrate, maybe I can move that rock". Or wonder how Luke could live on a planet with two suns and still be that pale.

We are Star Wars fans. Sure, we might not have enjoyed I & II as much as we would have liked to. But maybe III will make up for them.

Here's to hoping.

Posted by Ryan at 02:58 0 comments have been left. Where is your comment?

24.5.05

The Power Of Blogging

There have been many reports and articles writen about blogging. In fact last week I was interviewed for an newspaper article on blogs. But tonight as I was doing some web searching I discovered one power of blogging that many people never would have expected. A man who killed his girlfriend and her brother was discovered by the last entry on the brother's xanga site. Sounds like something out of a movie... too bad it happened in real life.

Currently listening to: The Frames -

Posted by Ryan at 07:37 0 comments have been left. Where is your comment?

23.5.05

Wheels

Here is an oxymoron on wheels.

And speaking of cars, I really would love to drive this vehicle, but that could be since I also wanted to drive the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile. I'm not kidding, I actually once applied to drive that big hot dog on wheels.

Currently listening to: Blue Merle -

Posted by Ryan at 19:05 0 comments have been left. Where is your comment?

21.5.05

Tell Me What You Want...

They are back, so now would be a good time for story time...

I was out in California visiting a good friend from college. While we were planning on what to do the next day, the news came on that the Spice Girls were in town for the world premiere of their film "Spice World." I made some suggestion as how much fun that would be, which was quickly shot down... several times. After getting the point, we decided to head to downtown Los Angeles the next day to see what we could. Well, when we got down there, we saw a line forming, a very short line near Grauman's Chinese Theater. For some reason my friend decided we should park the car and at least go and heckle the people in line. This then turned into us standing in line for a little bit, and then being ushered into bleachers across from the red carpet rolled out in front of the theater. After several hours of listening to junior high girls debate their favorite Spice, and one really freaky guy who claimed to be their "True Number One Fan," we began to wonder what we had gotten ourselves into.

Soon enough an announcer told the ever growing crowd that in minutes some of the biggest names in entertainment would be walking down that red carpet before our very eyes. Names like Spike Lee, Harrison Ford, Tom Arnold, Steven Spielberg, Rod Steward, and others. Needless to say, most of the big names didn't appear. We did see Mary Kate and Ashley, Jonathan Lipnicki, and Brandy, and a bunch of other WB stars.

Then after more hours than I like to admit, the traditional British double decker bus draped in the Union Jack turned the corner. There in the front of the topless bus, were the five Spice Girls. Again, hating to admit it, but feeling it only adds to the story, the two of us let out a shriek, which was closely followed with a "What did we just do" look towards each other.

After the gals got of the bus, signed a few autographs, and headed into the theater, all of us who arrived early enough to get wristbands were allowed into a theater to watch the film as well. For a few moments we debated skipping out on the film or not, but decided that the story would be incomplete without the film. Plus we knew we would never pay money to see the film. The free popcorn and sodas closed the deal.

Now the story could end there, and you would go away thinking that I needed help. Trust me, we attended more as a joke. We are not "true fans." But the story doesn't end there. A couple days later while waiting on a flight out of LAX, I tried to call a friend to tell him what had just happened. Before I could tell the story, another friend got on the phone and asked if I was in Los Angeles. He then asked if I was at the Spice Girls film the other night. This was odd, as I had only told one person, who had no way of contacting my friends. So when I asked him how he knew, (not to mention blowing my chance of telling a fun story) he relayed how one of the guys from our Bible study was walking down the hall in his hospital. He happened to look at one of the televisions and swore he saw me on CNN's coverage of the Spice World premiere. And as Paul Harvey says, "now you know the rest of the story."

Currently listening to:

Posted by Ryan at 20:09 0 comments have been left. Where is your comment?

I'm Just Wondering

So President Bush spoke at Calvin College, and I got a feeling he didn't really understand his audience. Perhaps I'm wrong, and if any of my friends who attend or attended Calvin would kindly correct me, but does this phrase, "And we learn how to come together by participating in our churches and temples and mosques and synagogues," really go over well at a Christian college's graduation ceremony? Or talking about the immigrants who founded Calvin College (Dutch Reformers) and then without a transition talk about some French dude? Here is the full text of the speech.

Posted by Ryan at 18:23 0 comments have been left. Where is your comment?

Coming In

Now and then I like to see how people get to my site. One way is from links from various sites. There aren't too many out there, but a couple. Although, I might be big in France.

The other way is from search engines. It is always interesting to see the various phrases entered into a search engine, which leads to a listing for one of the pages on my site. The best ones in the last few weeks have to be:

1. Cavity Search Photos - Who looks for this?
2. One Armed Korean pirate pic - I'm number one.
3. "why don't I have a girlfriend" - to which I say, the fact you are using a search engine to figure that question out might be one reason.
4. 10 ways to please your girlfriend - If I knew that she wouldn't be your girlfriend.
5. photo of me in highschool - I don't even know who typed this in, how can they expect me to have their highschool photo?
6. Bible verses about making fun of people - I don't think it endorses that kind of behavior.
7. Catchy phrases about fish - I'm not going to make jokes just for the halibut.

The sad and shocking phrase that shows up at least once a month is "kids in underwear pics," or "photos of kids in underwear." Sometimes I think there are some really messed up folk out there, but just so someone doesn't get upset, here are some photos for you sickos...

If you are looking for more clothing for your goat, check these guys out.

And if you want the same underwear the above goat is wearing, it comes in adult sizes.

Currently watching:

Posted by Ryan at 10:44 0 comments have been left. Where is your comment?

20.5.05

It Isn't Easy Being Green (In A Big City)

This week's Photofriday's theme is "Green." As I live in a city with 1.4 million other people, it is often hard to find a large amount of green. But a couple weeks ago, I came across someone selling some bonsai trees on the side of a bridge. Thus explains this weeks photo tossed into the collection...

clicky the photo for a biggy photo.

Posted by Ryan at 08:04 0 comments have been left. Where is your comment?

19.5.05

Bad News Music Fans

Backstreet's back...and they are trying to tell us they were Never Gone. This poses the age old question, why does God allow his people to suffer?

Speaking of suffering at the hands of evil people in the music industry, these two guys are responsible for one of the most annoying song in the world. I'd mention it, but it would only get stuck in your head for days. I don't want to do that to you, but if you must know, scroll over the link before clicking it.

And remember... you might be a king, or a little street sweeper, but sooner or later, you dance with the Reaper.

Currently listening to: Club977 - a great online radio station.

Posted by Ryan at 04:33 0 comments have been left. Where is your comment?

18.5.05

Here You Go Jodi

Not only did you get your name in a post, but I created a quiz just for you... So you can now take an easy quiz and then see that everybody wins at ryancordell.com. If you want a challenge, and haven't taken it, take the tougher quiz on Ryan. Currently the Brits are winning that one.

Posted by Ryan at 15:20 0 comments have been left. Where is your comment?

My Stupid Quiz

I've decided to jump on the bandwagon with a bunch of my friends. So take the Ryan Cordell quiz and then compare your score with others. It will be just like the ACT or SAT, only shorter and no number 2 pencils.

Currently watching:

Posted by Ryan at 10:16 0 comments have been left. Where is your comment?

17.5.05

After the Star Wars

A few months ago, my brother and I discussed the fact in a very short time thousands of people around the world will have nothing to live for. For years they have been patiently waiting, discussing, dreaming, yerning, plotting their absence from work, and salivating like a dog for the next Star Wars film. But in a very short time, Mr. Lucas' Star Wars film franchise will be over. There will be no more reason for them to quit the jobs and stand in line for months for a ticket(and the kicker is that the theater isn't even showing Star Wars when it opens).

We discussed coming up with a list of things to do, now that it is over. I don't care if you are a boy or a girl who has invested way too much of their life into a galaxy far far away. Here are some things you might want to give a try...

1. Get back to work.
2. Learn some skills.
3. Sell off all your dolls, whoops I mean action figures.
4. Find a girlfriend (or boyfriend). This might involve talking to members of the opposite gender. If you don't know your gender, try this. Heck, if you are lucky, you might even get married at a fancy wedding.
5. Help fight cancer.
6. Go outside and play in the sprinkler.
7. Get ready for the next big movie series. Which has a great looking website.
8. Convince your parents to get a HD television for their basement so you can watch Star Wars the television series. (Why am I thinking a mix of Felicity and Roswell?) At least it will be better than most reality shows.
9. Go down to your local store and buy some organic foods.
10. Sign a petition to get George Lucas to finish the rest of the series. Or at least start a theme park, but a little more kid friendly than this one.
11. Get out and enjoy some real culture. How 'bout an opera?
12. Realize that there is no hope for you, but be glad you are not a trekkie.
13. Torture your pet.

Any other suggestions from my readers?

Currently watching: My back, as I think I might have just ticked off a nerd or two.

Posted by Ryan at 06:25 0 comments have been left. Where is your comment?

15.5.05

Rolling Down The River

This weekend, I had the opportunity to join a group of students and staff and do some white water rafting. This was my first time white water rafting, and it was quite fun. We traveled down the Hantan River, which travels through parts known as the "Grand Canyon of Korea." Little did I know when I strapped on my personal floatation device and helmet that I was minutes away from one of the "Axis of Evil," and I'm not talking about when I first stepped into the water and realized how frigid it was. I guess that helmet wasn't just to protect me from hitting my head on the rocks. So, while Korean white water rafting might not have the intense rapids that other locations might boast about, they are not near a rogue nuclear state. Which, in my book, totally classifies it as an extreme sport.

Today, after church, I made a Subway stop on the way to Hanbat Stadium to catch the Eagles v. Wyverns. A beautiful day for a game, and two of my friends went home with official game balls. I went home empty handed. Maybe next time.

Wrapped up my remaining time off with some Chinese food (some is still sitting in my refrigerator) and walking around town with a friend.

All in all, a great weekend. Sure there were a few scrapes and scratches, but that is all part of life. And right now, I'm liking this life. Thanks to all who are a part of it, both here as well as watching from a distance.

P.S. Don't tell my momma I was that close to North Korea. As I performed an illegal border crossing into Poland a few years ago, she just doesn't trust me around major international borders.

Currently listening to: Bill Mallonee -

Posted by Ryan at 08:03 0 comments have been left. Where is your comment?

13.5.05

Space (Or Lack Of)

As for the Photo Friday Challenge theme of "Space", I submit a photo from one of my trips on the Seoul Subway. It has been a while since I've seen so many packed into such a tight space.

Posted by Ryan at 00:27 0 comments have been left. Where is your comment?

12.5.05

Bargin Burgers

It is a darn shame I gave up eating fast food a while ago. Speaking of food, I find this very funny.

Currently using to keep my teeth clean:

Posted by Ryan at 11:21 0 comments have been left. Where is your comment?

11.5.05

Seoul Patch

Today was my day off, and like anyone wants on their day off, I was rudely awoken by an inconsiderate person... To top it off, I was so needing my sleep this morning. And getting back to sleep was not a great option due to those pesky animals in the neighborhood. And then when I hit the shower, I discovered that the hot water wasn't working. But I'm getting better.

In fact the day turned around with a little trip to Seoul. It started off with a hour long train trip. For those who have not experienced train travel (AMTRAK doesn't count!) it has to be one of the best ways to get from one place to another. Heck, if I could travel everywhere by train, I'd be a happy man. On the trip up I was able to get some good reading and sleep in.

Once in Seoul, I decided to randomly pick a subway stop to head to for some 'splorin'. And it was a pretty good payoff. I found some fun pet stores where you can buy everything from rabbits and chickens (although I wanted to kill the chickens before they could disturb another persons sleep) to lizards and fish as long as my arm. Plus I now know where to go if I'm looking for lighting fixtures, neon lights, industrial sized cable, castors of every size, and rubber bands. So if I ever get bored and decide to build the biggest rubber band ball in Korea, I know exactly where to go.

But the main reason I went to Seoul, was to hang out with David, one of my former students from BFA. Today, David became the first person to enjoy a meal with me on three different continents. As we talked we discovered we have enjoyed meals in seven different countries. Kinda cool I think. It was good to hang out with him and explore some parts of the city. Plus, I even got a hug from a Korean gentleman in the subway. So all in all it was a good day.

Oh, and I found a used CD store. This is a dangerous and exciting discovery for me.

Currently reading:

Posted by Ryan at 09:06 0 comments have been left. Where is your comment?

10.5.05

Brains

I've got nothing.... so I'm going back to post some entries I marked as drafts but never released to the real world... and there might have been a reason...

Book smarts doesn't always equal street smarts.

And sometimes this could come in handy.

Currently reading:

Posted by Ryan at 21:37 0 comments have been left. Where is your comment?

I Will Survive

Official Survivor
Congratulations! You scored 70%!

Whether through ferocity or quickness, you made it out. You made the
right choice most of the time, but you probably screwed up somewhere.
Nobody's perfect, at least you're alive.



My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender:
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 44% on survivalpoints
Link: The Zombie Scenario Survivor Test written by ci8db4uok on OkCupid Free Online Dating


Currently reading:

Posted by Ryan at 07:23 0 comments have been left. Where is your comment?

9.5.05

Just Testing

I'm messing around with some design stuff to make this blog look like the rest of the site. If anyone who is more geeky that I can tell me how to make the side frames run the whole way down the page, I would appreciate that. Let me know what you think about the new look... it might change again soon.

Posted by Ryan at 17:26 0 comments have been left. Where is your comment?

7.5.05

Haiku Day (5/7/5)

Happy Haiku Day
I posted some funny ones
I might write some more.

New for Haiku Day
Fresh from my brain and keyboard
Tell me what you think

Posted by Ryan at 06:09 0 comments have been left. Where is your comment?

Doppelganger Drew

Today I discovred that yet again I missed out on the opportunity to participate in a global event. While I was checking out the site, I discovered a potential doppelganger of my co-worker and friend, Drew Jespersen, aka Der Iron Chef. So do you think they appear the same, or is it just the rainbow attire?



Currently reading:

Posted by Ryan at 05:05 0 comments have been left. Where is your comment?

6.5.05

Movie Tip

Ryan's movie tip for this month - Go and watch Millions. Don't be fooled by the fact it was directed by the guy who did Trainspotting and 28 Days Later. Don't pass it over because the same guy wrote it that penned 24 Hour Party People. This is a great film that you can take the whole family to. It is lighthearted, yet brings up some interesting points. As I told a couple friends, it could be the best film I've seen in a while. And that is saying a lot, as it is a British film. (Sorry Dr. Lee)

In other news... I found out a friend of mine got some serious props from his students. If you check out the article, I think you will agree the best line is, "He's the leader of a pack of kids that have been through hell and back -- by hell I mean organic chemistry." So Kevin, if you happen to be reading this, well done. And yes, those glasses make you look a little nerdy, but if you are helping kids through the hell known as organic chemistry, you gots to be nerdy.

Currently listening to:

Posted by Ryan at 10:56 0 comments have been left. Where is your comment?

3.5.05

A Superhero Story

This week I had the pleasure of reading a story called The Unbelievable Origin of Superspiff & the Toothpick Kid. I laughed many times, and even out loud. Unfortunately for most of you, it can not be ordered at Amazon.com or anywhere else on the web. But, it should be dang it. In fact, today I got a notice from the author that it just won a little prestige and honor. So if any of you have a publishing company out there, I highly suggest you getting in touch with the author. You might have the next Harry Potter or Encyclopedia Brown franchise waiting for you.

I've also been listening to the new album by Bill Mallonee, "Hit And Run." I'm liking what I'm hearing so far, including the tracks "Losing Battle" and "Flowers". For a guy who has cranked out several albums a year, he isn't just releasing a bunch of junk. It is all good stuff, that can be and needs to be listened to several times to fully grasp and understand. I highly recommend checking out this, or any of his music.

The cool thing (besides it was recorded on my birthday) is that it is an internet release only, which saves on the shipping. It is all part of a whole new way of marketing music which I think could and should catch on. Forget the big record companies and talentless oversampled hacks and get back to the real artists making the money for their music and art.

Currently listening to: Bill Mallonee -

Posted by Ryan at 22:48 0 comments have been left. Where is your comment?

1.5.05

Night Rocker

Once again Hasselhoff is the man. I'll admit, I have some Hasselhoff in the iTunes folder and have one of his shows on DVD. But let me explain... this guy has not only been an actor and musician, but a influential member of the world. And if you are a fan of his work, you might want to score the calendar.

But to quote R.E.M., "Oh no I've said too much, I've set it up."

Currently listening to:

Posted by Ryan at 08:17 0 comments have been left. Where is your comment?