Super Freaky

So friday night Shuan and I were invited by Stephen to go to the "Mtv something somthing" at American Samoa Community College. So Shaun and I both canceled our hot dates for the night and went to the auditorium. Anyways it couldn't be that bad, it was the "MTV something something." We thought that an MTV affiliate or maybe Carson Daily's cousin would be there.
WRONG
What we thought would be cool Samoan bands playing turned out to be ASCC version of spring sing, or sing song, or celebration depending on which interpretation you have. There were two sections, super freak and free style. Each club did a choreographed thingy to Rick James' (smack) "Super Freak" then later did their own compilation. Now there is an inherent cultural issue with "Super Freak," girls aren't allowed to dance or dress skank. So most of the clubs pulled a Jesse Shuff, and since Shuff doesn't read this blog I can say this. They had some dudes dress up as hooch women, some of which were entirely too comfortable in their four inch heals. One group had their freestyle sessions abruptly stopped due to one of their girls getting to "super freaky."
All in all it was a pretty good experience.

Part 2: Rant of the day. To the Lewis Speedway Church of Christ in St. Augustine, FL. You suck.
So when Josh and I went to The Aug. to sail we needed a place to park the shaggin' waggon. We figured on the hospitality of the local CoC. So we went and got the bright light police officer drill when we asked them if we could leave the car. They even asked for Josh's DL. Ok at least we got to park our car.
But then Amber needed a place to park for a week or so when she came down. Naturally she called the same church. The church's minister's reply went something like this: We have a parking issue, and already have someone leaving their car, NO. Amber wound up having to park at an airport parking thingy for the week.
So here's to the gay-wads at the Lewis Speedway CoC thanks for your christian hospitality to your fellow brothers and sisters. You suck.

Paul "song # 986" Murphy

I sort of hope the next time you get googled Lewis Speedway Church of Christ in St. Augustine, Saint Augustine, FL, Fl, Florida this pops up first.

Stuff


Student: I have three superballs
My thought: Chuck Norris has five...

My makers have gone to the dogs...

So there I was minding my own buisness, when all of the sudden out of nowhere this dog appears at my door to the classroom. Usually this wouldn't bother me and I would just curse at it in Samoan in it would leave, but this time was different. The dog really irratated me for some reason. So I decide not to interupt my scholarly dialouge with the student I was talking to and just huck a dry erase marker at it. Now my markers have been dying like Iraqis in "sectarian violence." I don't really know what sectarian violence means. I think it is something like "better you guys then us honkys." Anyways my markers have been dying, a lot, partially due to them being left uncapped after compositions of whiteboard impressionistic murals. One of my students suggested burrying all my dead markers in the back. Another replied we didn't have enough top soil...
Back to the dog. I'm trying to teach while this dog is about to mark my classroom as its territory. Now I've had dogs do lots of things, including a dog that came into my classroom while we were in the computer lab and drop a deuce. No way was this dog gonna mark my classroom. So I hucked the dryerase marker in my hand at him, not intending to hit him, merely scare him a little. So I missed the dog and the impact of the marker with the ground scared it away. I continued with my mathematical discourse, only to have the student interupt me and tell me the dog had my marker. I told him that "Yes I tossed the marker at the dog." He reiterated his previous statement with more inflection. So I went outside and that female dog was walking away with my marker in its mouth. I walked back into my classroom with a feeling much like prehistoric man probably felt when coming home from a fruitless hunt. My kids noticed the look on my face and questioned what was up. I told them what happened, they encouraged me to knuckle up with the dog. (This story needs a good ending. Its kinda dwindled in the last few seconds) Instead of attacking the dog I chose a different route. I yelled, "fire" really loud and gayly. Captain Planet appeared from the sky and smited the dog for not recycling that marker. It was pretty bad hootus.

Paul "not the Welsh politician that might be working in a laundry mat" Murphy

When there's trouble, you call DW...

Every now and then you have a conversation that "wakes you up" a little. We'll get to that converstation in a little bit.
I guess I've always tried to march to the beat of my own drum. I like to think that my drum is like one of those sweet steel drums. I've always wanted to learn to play steel drums. Nobody I know plays them and I think it would be cool. Anyways, there have been times when I've been guilty of trying to be or become someone who "follows the crowd." I don't want to follow the crowd, I rather get ahead of them and figure out whats going on, maybe get on a rooftop. Now there is nothing wrong if you want to go to A&F and buy pants, I just wouldn't feel comfortable doing it. You can do whatever.
I can remember a conversation I had with one of my good friends Daniel White (Whitey). Whitey said he was going to do something, which I can't remember, and I said something along the lines of "what people will think." Whitey set me straight. He informed me that he didn't care about what other people thought. I like that frame of mind. I'm not sure I should care about what people think about me or my actions. At the end of the day Whitey knew he didn't have to answer to me, Stone, or anybody else. The only person he had to answer to was himself. Was he satisfied with his life?

If you want to be who you think everyone wants you to be, you're wasting your time.

Paul Murphy

Whitey is not called Whitey b/c of his last name. On the contrary its b/c he doesn't like "coulored" people. He's quite pale himself

Sam represents the East because he's a smelly Jap with squinty eyes.

Jeremy. Christian Children's Fund. Click the link.

Swine and sorry's

I think I need to apologize about yesterday. Someone got upset and instead of addressing the issue I turned it into a game. Rule 1 of any game, Know your opponent. It should also be understood, if you haven't already noticed, that I have a statistical tracker on this blog. Baisicly it tells me stuff like where people are coming from and when they came.
If you decide to leave a comment and disagree with something please don't resort to an "Ad Hominem" attack. Basically against the man (courtesy of Luke Dockery). Please take on the issue at hand not attack me. Its not that I can't handle people being angry with me, I just turn it into a game to be won, and I win at games.
Also it should be noticed that I do not censor any comments left on the board, only my own. I believe in a free transfer of ideas. Even if those ideas happen to involve giant rats. You should have seen how happy Colt was to have a picture of him and a thwarted rat online.

Enought of that.

Now onto swine. Yesterday began the pig purchase revolution. The pig revolution is basically a challenge. After reading Sam Travaglini's blog I decided that I too am wasting money, and eating too much fast food. So we've agreed to cut our spending and start buying pigs. This isn't a grand venture capitalist skeme but something entirely different. The Christian Childrens Fund has a page where you can purchase a one-time gift (please visit). For $25 they can get a pig to a family and give them supplies and training on how to effectively use the pig. I esspecially like the picture of the little girl and the pig. I think its an effective way to be more concious about the money I spend and what I could spend it on (kinda like Miller's Blue Like Jazz with the extension cord). So I challenge all of my readers to take the same pledge Sam and I have. We're going to buy a pig for a family every other month. This means I will have to cut out about 4 trips to Checkers or KFC every other month and use that money to buy the pig. Here is what I want from my readership. Either find someone to switch off months buying pigs with or sign up for either the Sam T. team or Paul M. team.
We'll call it West vs. East Pig Challenge. Sam will represtent the East, and I'll take the West. West has Nov. Jan. March.... East has the other months. So sign up in the comments section of either sam or I's blog.

Paul "Pig purchasing" Murphy

Censureship

Recently I read an article about how telecom corps. are looking at charging internet sites to enable faster access for their customers. So it would be really fast to get to google b/c google shelled out some serious dough, but slow to popular blogs like "Teaching near Tafuna" in American Samoa, b/c I did not pay Verizon lots of money, so I don't get the speed. It's censureship based on money.

But there is another type of censureship, relational. I've noticed that in relationships one person is not "allowed" to say or do something b/c it is not viewed as "appropriate" or acceptable by the other. Eg. Mom's and wives.

There are some things that are humorous and educational that should not be censured by females. Such as top ten lists on http://dentites.blogspot.com. (under comments for post about girl in the library) So here is something that "I" am proud of, and since mom is 9000 miles away she can't do anything about.
Now that's a big rat.

So here's to you Philip Murphy. Way to go on taking down a giant rat.

Philip 1 Giant Rats 0

Giant rat, you got pwnded.

Paul "Takin' it to the woMan" Murphy

Dream Job?

I remember writing an entrance essay for USC grad school. In the essay I was supposed to tell why I wanted to be a teacher. I wrote that people had always told me that I should get a job I enjoy doing, and I really enjoyed playing disc. Unfortunately there is no such thing as a paid ultimate player, nor would I qualify for that possition.

I've always had trouble figuring out what I wanted to do. Things I enjoy: Running, playing, being challenged, shooting clays, climbing, swimming, and stuff like that. My current job only offers one of these, being challenged. I've often thought of another job that would encompass all of the things I love.

The first few times I visited with an army recruiter was after my sophomore year of college and the beginning of the whole war on terrorism. I figured my country might need me. And they were offering to pickup much of the bill for college. The recruiter informed me that I would not be able to go to school in Ark. if I joined up (now I realize its b/c he wanted the recruit for the SC national guard and wasn't looking for a recruit for the US army). All this made me think they really didn't need me that much.

The next time was last spring. I didn't really know what I was going to do after grad school. I figured joining the Army special forces would be fun and challenging. Besides they were offering over $20,000 in bonus upon completion of the SF program. After blowing the ASVAB completely out of the water and only having one point deducted b/c of time ( I got every answer correct) the recruiter started showing up at my house. The only problem with joining the Army is that nothing is really guaranteed. Just by the chances I probably wouldn't make it through SF training. That and I have the stingy knee problem. I still think I could make it though. And thats a job that would encompass all of the things that make me happy.

My mom is probably happy I didn't join. And with teaching I get a job thats challenging and I get to help people, not shoot people from 1100 yards after jumping out of an airplane 32,000ft above earth. And I have the entire summer to do all those other things that I really enjoy.

Paul

Monkeys and transcendentalism

First sign of a decent post, good title.
I've heard a lot of people over the years talk about how they live with no regrets. Especially professional athletes. I disagree with the entire notion of living life with no regrets, especially in athletics. Dissapointment is a great motivator. Or at least the dislike of dissapointment. I regret doing and not doing a lot of things, at least it seems like a lot of things. I regret not being able to throw a descent io flick a year ago while playing against Georgia Tech in frisbee. I made a pass that I should have practiced more before I made, or didn't make. It was bad. I was dissapointed and I regret not practicing enough to make that pass. Today I can make that pass with my eyes closed and in high wind. I practiced because of the regret. Thoreau says it like this,

"Make the most of your regrets. . . . To regret deeply is to live afresh"

I think regret makes me want to never make the same mistake again. I also think Thoreau would have written in green. Regret has become a pretty huge driving force in my life. At the same time I think we can become to envolved in our regret and mis the part where we're supposed to do something about it.

"When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us."- Alexander Graham Bell.

MMM... good point invetor of the telephone. I think we can easily get lost in feeling sorry for ourselves and not get back up. Its like the monkey in the Lion King says, we while its in the past we must learn from our mistakes.

"Get up. Get on d. Play hard, and earn your opportunity for another try."

-Justin Bland

Ohhhhh, Bland throws down. Regret reminds us of what not to do. If I lived life with no regrets I would easily forget what I've really messed up on. Its not just about frisbee but life. I've made a few "bad passes" in life, passes that I won't mess up again. Passes that I've done some redonkulous things to avoid doing again.

Paul "Random Post" Murphy

If you can try tell help Josh out with a top ten things to say to RGitL

Boredom

I hate being bored because it just means I want to be entertained. I found last year that Google lets you customize your entry page. It tells me my new email, headlines of the day, insults me in middle english, gives me three quotes of the day, a sodoku puzzle, and how to's. But best of all is pacman. I can play pacman while thinking of random stuff to search for. Like the Monterey Bay Otter Cam. It even plays pre-recorded video when the otters are sleeping. http://www.mbayaq.org/efc/efc_otter/otter_cam.asp
I've gone so far as to actually watch Josh's Madagascar Hissing Cockroach webcam. They're quite fascinating. It's taken me a while to post this. I've been playing pacman. Anyways...
I think if wasting time was a proffession I'd be making the most money. But I guess that job has already been filled by John Madden and his awful commentary on football.

Aight. I'm out

Paul

Aniversaries (?) and blogging defficiency

I like celebrating. Really anything except my birthday. Lots of people really enjoy birthdays. I don't. Birthdays remind me of all the stuff I didn't do the previous year. I like other peoples' birthdays because that means someone else has to deal with the depression of getting older. Its now been a year since I moved from SC back to ARK. From USC back to Harding. It was a huge jump for me. You might call it a "throwdown." It was a good moved and inspired by an inumerable amount of factors. Inumerable is probably an exageration. When I made the move I wasn't sure about much, not even if I was going to stay in grad school. I met with some other department faculty to talk about their programs. I somehow found myself flipping coins to figure out what to do. I figure if the apostles can cast lots to decide for Mathias or the other guy (Joseph or was it Joseph Mathias ?) anyways I though I could flip coins to see what I should do. I finally realised that no matter what as long as I was trying to follow Jesus it would all work out. So for the first time I think I realized that maybe God's plan for me wasn't specific. He'd throwdown with whatever. I just have to "...be a hoe for Jesus" (-Dwight Smith). And for the first time in a long time, I felt peace about what was going on. And everything worked out. I got a great job working for Josh Brown, Allen Henderson, and Dr. Finley in the College of Ed. My schedule worked out, and I got the wonderful opportunity of living with Thomas Kinsley and Jeremy Stoneburner. Never saw any of that coming. Nor did I see what or where I would be a year later. Who'd of thought. I don't think I could have told you which two hemispheres American Samao was in a year ago. I did think that things were going to work out. And they did.
Anyways I've got some other aniverseries coming up. Unlike my un-computer savy brothers with their getto crunch o' meters I've got something a little cooler. I hope it works. So enjoy the new meter, unless you get tired of it...

Paul "wow that's redonkulous" Murphy

Tired of the meter. Send those requests to

I'll buy Paul Murphy dinner over Xmas break
co: Paul Murphy
PO Box 326
Pago Pago, AS 96799

Bad sweaters, denim dresses, and bad 80's hair.

Today I had an awfull thought. What if I turned into my elementary and middle school teachers? Not like physically, but like how they dressed. I pictured myself in a denim overall-dress number with a white turtleneck shirt on. It wasn't pretty. Then I added some bad early 90's hair job. Even worse. Then I thought about some middle-age lady pants with a bad "hand knitt" sweater, so bad you can't really tell what the picture is of, but it could be a cat, or someones face, possibly a John Bellushi. Luckily I'm not wearing denim skirts and turtlenecks yet.

The problem with bending over backwards for people is its easy to fall on your head. I hate it when I try to help someone out and wind up getting pwned. "That's why they're called 'your problems' because they're your problems."

Dear Josh,
Please go to Wal-Mart and buy two packs of B6-4 rocket engines and ship them to me.

Paul "I'll pay you back at Christmas" Murphy

If you missed yesterday's blog go back and read it first

Today I made some real steps toward achievement. Now if you read that sentence critically I've said nothing at all. What steps? What achievement?? Anyways, Philip and I were hitting golfballs in the back yard. As is customary in the Murphy house it was a competition. "Who could hit the middle coconut tree first." No that really is what we were going for. Philip started and his first shot missed by the regular 15 ft. My first shot hit the tree square from 70 yards out (that would be 210 feet or 2520 inches for anyone in class). My day of golf greatness continued when I hit a birdy. Thats right, just like Randy Johnson (for video click here). Luckily my bird flew away, sorta. Some rabid dog will probably get to it tonight. I couldn't catch it to "club" it out of its missery before it flew off (9 Iron by the way).
Aight I'm done

Paul "B.A., Byron chanelling, Bird Hater" Murphy

I thought about writing something about minimum wage but decided not to. People might actually read this.
I seriously want to know who is reading my blog from Frisco TX and the University of Hawaii. Drop me a reply, its free.

My cool Church (Long)

Today I was thinking about cool people at church and how I'd like a church just full of cool people. My cool church would be full of cool people. Aaron Hasten would be our cool preacher. He'd have killer sermons every sunday. We would all sit and make hmmm noises everytime he made a thought provoking comment. He'd have cool stories to go along with his cool lessons. Some sundays we wouldn't even have sermons just praise and sweet fellowship. We wouldn't have a song leader. We'd only have Chris Thompson sitting on the front row with a microphone. He wouldn't be the song leader, only the song starter. Yeah, that'd be cool. Oh, and Stephen Lamb would be there to do the Sunday morning adult class. He would have amazing lessons every week about salvation, and tying in current events with our Bible lesson. Lessons about the LRA, Christianity in China, and cool stuff like that. The Harding University Ultimate Frisbee team would be in charge of Sunday evening services. Guys like Justin Bland, Luke Dockery, Whit Jordan, Branson Bridges, Johnathan Lindsey, Jordan Walters, Daniel White, Jake Beveridge, and Landon Ganus. We'd have better attendance on Sunday evening because of people who's church's weren't as cool sneaking over for our service. Serving communion with cool communion thoughts would be some of the greatest servants that I'll ever know; Matt Fields, Kyle Jurek, Jeremy Stoneburner, Curt Harbuck, Brandon Stone, Danny Vaden, Thomas Kinsley, Stephen Jennamann, and Kevin Stewart. We'd have cool outreach ministries too. Ministires like a homless ministry lead by Daniel Tignor, Sam Travaglini, and one of our deconesses Amanda Pratt. I think it'd be cool to have deconesses. We'd have a church athletic program headed up by Sean Brown, and we'd field a team for every game played at the park. And we'd be good because we have a cool church and cool people like Greg Maddux and Doug Flutie would come to our church. We'd dominate in sports. We'd have cool computer stuff because David Kelly would keep us up to date with everything. We'd also have cool elders, elders like Greg Beam, Dr. Klein, and James Taylor. I think having James Taylor as an elder would be pretty cool. We'd have cool functions like singles ministry mixers, multi-deminational worship services, and of course pot-luck lunch, except on every sunday. And pot luck would be cool because we'd have like alot of different nationalities go to our cool church so we'd have lots of different foods. Sam's mom would be incharge of the potluck.

People everywhere would want to come to our cool church. Max Lucado would send his resume' once a month and ask if he could preach for us. We'd just tell him that we might have a spot for him one sunday about three years down the road if he wanted to be a guest speaker. Donald Miller would come to our church and help with the college class. Byron Nelson would have helped with our Retired ministry and golf lessons. Joshua Harris would want to come to our church but we'd make him take care of the toddlers during class; without physical contact ofcourse. Wierd Al would host Kareoke night on Thursdays. Barrack Obama would come to our church too, he'd be in charge of our bus ministry (I think that's a joke but I'm not really sure). Bottom line. Lots of cool people.

But there would be alot of problems with our cool church. First of all I think I'd get too old for our singles ministry and find myself not fitting in anywhere. I also think that I would eventually get kicked out of my cool church for not being cool enough. But even worse, I think people would start coming to my church because it was the cool thing to do and not because of their devotion to Christ. Also, Jesus didn't just invite the cool people, but everybody. The fact is at church you're gonna have to deal with some not cool people. Which you can already tell I have the wrong attitude about. Sometimes it is difficult to find a common ground with the people you go to church with, especially if you go to church 9000 miles from home. Bottom line: Jesus loves everybody and thinks they're pretty cool. I should probably find out what so cool about them.

Paul "got kicked out of his own cool church" Murphy

Good news for the young people in the US- They've come up with a vaccine for HPV
Bad new for Kentucky- it doesn't work if you obtain the virus from family