tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27308475390059705912012-02-16T12:09:44.108-06:00Thoughts on thoughts, actions, reflections, art, music, science, existence, daily life, and other stuff.Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.comBlogger1351100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-6104052724842492962012-01-08T21:15:00.000-06:002012-01-08T21:15:49.246-06:00

I'm such a fuddy-duddy. And this really isn't a review, it's basically just me complaining... mostly about being a fuddy-duddy. I saw Tintin in 3D (RATED PG) and it was simply too much action for me to enjoy.  I would estimate that 80% of the film is a swirling cacophony of impossibly frantic action.  Sure, there's some plot... kid buys a cool model ship, gets kidnapped, has to enlist the help

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-78226848584935387732011-09-20T16:08:00.000-05:002011-09-20T16:08:59.408-05:00

I have no good excuses.  I'm a writer...you'd think you could expect more regular posts out of me.  But I'm also a busy father and recently spoiled television watcher.  (We just got Netflix and HDTV.) I've seen statistics that say that every hour of television you watch shortens your life by 22 minutes.  Which is actually kinda convenient, because each hour I spend doing anything else shortens

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-53466541670108010542011-05-02T12:04:00.000-05:002011-05-02T12:04:45.192-05:00

Where to start? How special is today? Does the death of the most wanted criminal in the world make today any different than any other day? Of course it should, but does it? How annoying is it to read a post that starts off with five questions? The reason I'm compelled to write right now is because a while back I read a great piece by David Foster Wallace, called "The View from Mrs.

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-52825742632057332172011-03-22T11:35:00.004-05:002011-03-22T13:23:36.796-05:00

I'd like to qualify this post by stating that nothing bad has happened to me recently. In fact, in light of all of the horrible things that are currently happening in the world--Japan earthquake, Lybian war/conflict, et al--I'd go so far as to say that nothing REALLY bad has ever happened to me. I could very well be jinxing myself, I know, but the following little analogy/metaphor thing just

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-24633200430188361282011-03-01T11:08:00.002-06:002011-03-01T11:30:25.910-06:00

With friends like these, who needs enemies?Not many people get through the winter without catching a nasty cold or flu. Until this past weekend, I thought I was going to careen my way through the gauntlet of winter bugs and viruses without getting knocked over.Just as I was looking back at the part of the illness obstacle course I thought I had sprightly navigated, I got slammed in the face.

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-19408885136779116312011-02-24T08:07:00.003-06:002011-02-24T08:27:26.782-06:00

My hiatus has been inexcusable.Especially now that I'm a writer. Ahem...excuse me...what was that you said? If you're not in direct correspondence with me on a daily basis, you may not know that I finally struck out on my own as a freelance writer, about a month ago. Well, now you know.The tone of this post betrays my sincere excitement for finally doing exactly what I want to do with my career

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-50944581533039868902010-10-20T21:49:00.001-05:002010-10-20T21:50:47.702-05:00

I probably shouldn’t be watching Ke$ha videos. But I did. I watched about 3 of them. The dirty old man in me enjoyed watching them, at least a little. That’s the dirty old man in me that, I’m ashamed to admit, is a sucker for the type of female beauty that is cast onto the American public through music videos, billboards, and magazines. This type of beauty pushes the preference for

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-43695365687823759702010-09-18T11:37:00.002-05:002010-09-18T18:43:54.154-05:00

Why is it strange to see someone stretching in public?It's as if there is some unwritten rule for us non-professional athletes (non-athletes, if you will): Anyone exercising for purely recreational purposes is strictly prohibited from displaying tendencies associated with the beneficial habits of those with apparently superior genetics.The way I see it, the majority of the reason is a dynamic

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-14316939277941486662010-08-20T23:22:00.004-05:002010-08-20T23:45:58.541-05:00

First of all, don't get so tipsy on Chianti that you can no longer write legibly or coherently. But, if this scenario is inevitable, just finish the last little sip and go get yourself another glass. Once you've replenished your liquid inspiration, Google the word "ostensibly", because you can't remember what it means in your newly-realized drunken stupor. If you've lost the ambition to locate

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-53091566623294801802010-08-06T00:18:00.002-05:002010-08-06T00:19:50.969-05:00

At first I thought I liked Being John Malkovich a little more. But the more I think about it (!), the more I realize that Inception is the best movie I’ve ever seenFantastic actors, super-freaky-cool special effects, and, oh yeah, there’s that whole “plot” thing.I think I can write about it without giving away anything, so feel free to read on, even if you plan to see the movie. Actually,

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-74599597662082824332010-05-12T08:43:00.002-05:002010-06-16T21:20:04.135-05:00

This morning, I got myself a cup of coffee. I set the cup, full of coffee, on my desk. It happened to be right next to a very similar empty cup; one that I use for tea in the afternoon. As I was perusing my emails, I vacantly reached for my cup of coffee to take a sip and unwittingly grabbed the empty tea cup instead.*********I felt a wave a disappointment, confusion, and sadness sweep over me

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-41516983465684467842010-04-30T19:45:00.002-05:002010-05-01T09:13:13.964-05:00

As most, if not all of you know, I use this blog forum to unscramble my thoughts on certain topics...meaning: I generally don't know what conclusion I'll come to by the end of the post before I start writing, but the process of hashing it out in this quasi-public forum usually prioritizes my thoughts on the matter, and I generally feel more clear-headed about the subject by the time I post it.As

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-68644995128358243912010-04-16T20:53:00.005-05:002010-04-16T21:36:23.635-05:00

My beard is wonderful.My beard needs no introduction;my beard is the life of the party.Women fawn at the sight of my beard;my beard is irresistible.My beard has a mustache, you know.My beard is the favorite;my beard is the dark horse - you root for my beard either way.My beard is romance;my beard is splendor;my beard is a cool breeze on a hot summer day.My beard swings a sledge hammer;my beard

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-1845132927532257562010-04-02T20:58:00.002-05:002010-04-02T20:58:00.181-05:00

Maybe it's spring fever. Maybe it's because I'm embarking on a career with a new employer (again). Maybe it's because there was nothing else good on TV. It's probably a little of all three, but I also hope it's because I'm starting to finally mature enough to begin to appreciate nature...at least a little.Restless on a weekend morning, I turned on the local hunting/fishing channel. I've

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-60353605843974819172010-03-29T20:00:00.003-05:002010-03-30T12:48:03.061-05:00

Were I to have another daughter, I would be sure to name her "MEMORANDA". As ridiculous as the idea is, I feel like the name doesn't actually sound that bad. Maybe it only sounds good when I say it with a hoity-toity, deep belly voice, with the slightest English accent; the kind of voice I would use all capital letters to convey in writing. Maybe I'm just nuts. In fact, that's quite likely,

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-14456852139397656342010-03-22T21:17:00.004-05:002010-03-23T08:52:45.587-05:00

Lately, I've been a squelcher.The phrase "that creeping Cynicism" has been floating around in my head for probably the last year. I don't want to be a cynic...I truly don't. But I can't get this phrase out of my head. I know it's something I've wanted to write about (enter: this post), but I was hoping to have this nagging negativity at least partially resolved before I started writing. Or at

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-61162052291478844942009-10-30T05:36:00.001-05:002009-10-30T05:38:00.190-05:00

A good chance of a bright and shady yesterday with a definite possibility of scattered outsideishness.

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-75771259997835858232009-10-13T20:53:00.002-05:002009-10-13T21:28:26.378-05:00

Written on a bus ride from Seattle to Bellingham, WA.Novelty seems to quell the natural gravitation towards cynicism. The unfathomable subconscious community of souls before conception and after life. Soul as a function of mental ability is the antithesis of what I seem to magically know the soul to be.Oh shit! Look! A mountain!The raving madman, the ignoble lunatic inside me violently flails

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-89153991759386071812009-09-17T15:34:00.001-05:002009-09-17T15:34:00.607-05:00

Jerry's fascination with the awkwardly shaped, ineptly coordinated, but obviously enthusiastic plastic-wielding girl was akin to that of a person watching a chimpanzee pretending to wash toy dishes in its zoo cage, or to that of watching a portly, middle-aged couple, unfamiliar with the seating organization of a baseball stadium, climb up and down rows and rows of stairs repeatedly, completely

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-57589263890781454962009-09-13T15:40:00.002-05:002009-09-13T15:43:34.333-05:00

As the bluesy croons of an astonishingly soulful tiny Caucasian lady punctuate a better-than-average rhythm section and a driving, distinct, yet entirely unknown, lead Fender Stratocaster, the moods of a smattering of festival-goers are perceptibly rendered a little more pleasant.Shelley wanders artlessly into the back row of the intermittently attentive crowd, costumed in bright pink stretch

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-34023365446689140082009-09-01T08:37:00.001-05:002009-09-01T22:02:21.878-05:00

on a rainy daywhile i wear newspapers for pantsand a tee shirt that says "damn I'm good"people look funny when they cry'cause they just can't let it hidetyping into your little boxpress the cry buttonthen it unlocks -Eels, "Something is Sacred", Daisies of the Galaxy

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-80298502984688306432009-08-19T12:09:00.003-05:002009-08-19T12:24:04.675-05:00

Don't get me wrong, he's a nice guy, I like him just fine,but he is a Mouth Breather.-"Mouth Breather", The Jesus Lizard, Goat

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-35219815555683040782009-08-13T04:54:00.002-05:002009-08-13T04:54:00.878-05:00

The new iCrutch is a technological marvel that will ensure your perpetual reliance on it and all future technological marvels. Specially designed to help you with remembering phone numbers, listening to music, finding directions, sending email, typing letters, taking pictures and video, making breakfast, driving your car, mowing your lawn, teaching your kids to read, dogsitting your chihuahua,

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-76149014835836015962009-08-07T04:58:00.001-05:002009-08-07T04:58:00.859-05:00

I'm not sure why I think this is funny, I just do.

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-40588604253382888632009-07-10T21:00:00.000-05:002009-07-10T21:00:00.765-05:00

Try to cram your whole hand into a small jar of cherries. After you've got as much of your hand in that jar as you possibly can, do the same with the other hand, with another jar. Go ahead and remember your gymnastics lessons from when you were 8 years old, because you're going to need them. Now balance in those two tiny cherry jars and walk on your hands around a big city for the next 9

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-19202493059991371012009-07-05T17:01:00.000-05:002009-07-05T17:01:04.568-05:00

I have to include all of the lyrics to this song: it literally gives me goosebumps when I read them... Sam Stone came home,To his wife and familyAfter serving in the conflict overseas.And the time that he served,Had shattered all his nerves,And left a little shrapnel in his knee.But the morphine eased the pain,And the grass grew round his brain,And gave him all the confidence he lacked,With a

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-4081624603544033002009-07-02T19:21:00.000-05:002009-07-02T19:21:00.289-05:00

Alright I'm on Johnson Avenue in San Luis Obispoand I'm five years old or six maybe.and indications there's something wrong with our new housetrip down the wire twice daily.I'm in the living room watching the Watergate hearingswhile my stepfather yells at my mother,launches a glass across the room, straight at her headand I dash upstairs to take cover,lean in close to my little record player on

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-76398759641881434342009-06-29T10:30:00.001-05:002009-07-13T21:20:11.834-05:00

The tanned, lanky, ear-ringed young Captain of the golf team strode brazenly into the shining, Italian-leather furniture room, armed with the arrogance of privilege and perfectly symmetrical, bleach-tipped porcupine quills.He pretentiously bantered with the bubbly, babbling, tightly-curved sole family heiress as her impeccably maintained volume of protein and shine bobbed and swayed in rhythmic

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-54848579722680896872009-06-26T09:37:00.006-05:002009-06-26T10:17:09.011-05:00

♦The LA Clippers announced yesterday that they are appropriating the full responsibility of the team's future success to a reckless, immature, cross-eyed, teen-aged buffoon. Granted, this particular buffoon has remarkable inherited physical agility and quickness for a 6'-10" young man, but he shamelessly flaunts a mental ineptness and natural gravitation towards macho, over-zealous, and often

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-1187968172446086112009-06-22T08:57:00.000-05:002009-06-22T08:57:01.141-05:00

Snow on the north side, trash in the yard,love, like a newspaper, tattered and stained.Two-bourbon twilight, fog from God's cigar,neighbor's retarded dog chasin' the train.Greg Brown, "Spring & All", Slant 6 Mind

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-6748225301665953822009-06-18T19:42:00.000-05:002009-06-19T12:09:21.984-05:00

What the hell is he building in there?I heard he has an ex-wife in some place called Mayor's Income, TennesseeAnd he used to have a consulting business in Indonesia...but what is he building in there?What the hell is building in there?-Tom Waits, "What's He Building?", Mule Variations

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-3337968719149905812009-06-13T11:48:00.001-05:002009-06-13T11:48:00.314-05:00

The spiders are recalcitrant! One-way ego frolics on the pandemic. Who didn't told me where we have...turn off that buzz....4:29.The big middle button, the big middle button, you won't reach the floor if the slip is getting resistance, just hummmmm....the sly folly is wandering, but if we tell him we're on our way out, he's just going to keep resisting and we're going to leave soon to free our.

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-8222083810582833052009-06-10T11:11:00.001-05:002009-06-10T11:11:00.345-05:00

WARNING: If you like Nickelback (the Canadian rock band) at all, you should probably stop reading right now. If you can't stand them (like I can't) feel free to rant with me.I stopped wearing headphones during most outdoor runs almost a year ago, and I have since quite enjoyed the sounds of the various birds, trees, and other random various pre-dawn noises. Even the not-so-graceful scuffle of

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-19351235212764083052009-06-07T07:40:00.000-05:002009-06-07T07:40:00.531-05:00

"I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy."-Tom Waits, Nighthawks at the Diner (1975)

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-8936133544371665242009-06-03T07:57:00.001-05:002009-06-03T07:57:00.221-05:00

An interesting fact that was bestowed on me during my audiobook reading this morning: Dr. Martin Luther said (in an autobiography as well as in other writings) that a significant moment in his somewhat prolonged epiphany of the relationship between the words/ideas of "faith" and "righteousness" came when he was reading one of Paul's letters to the early Christians in the latrine of his cloister.

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-64038260412125839182009-05-31T16:21:00.001-05:002009-05-31T16:21:00.976-05:00

I have an almost overwhelming urge to use the phrase "bariatric hat trick" in a conversation. But I know if I do, it will sound so contrived that it would be impossible for me not to offend anyone even mildly overweight within hearing distance.I will do my best to resist this urge, but chances are, the next time you talk to me, I'm going to be thinking about how I can work that phrase into our

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-58295181083601098052009-05-23T14:17:00.000-05:002009-05-23T14:17:00.200-05:00

A circularly reasoned, yet therapeutic exercise in self-examination of social tendencies.Or at least it seems this way after a few hours of blood-cooling reflection.A very vital, yet often unconscious, aspect of the consistency of a person is their demeanor. The specific portion of my own demeanor that I've often struggled to alternately tighten or provide slack in is confidence.If you know me

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-18592781329292690482009-05-20T09:35:00.001-05:002009-05-20T09:35:00.694-05:00

"Reason holds the helm, but passions are the gales." - John AdamsHere's one spin/translation: we may claim to know we are doing the right thing because it is what needs to be done, but in society, things happen because people want them to happen.

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-68282411317248890542009-05-19T21:32:00.000-05:002009-05-19T21:32:00.580-05:00

I wish most sincerely there was not a slave in this province. It always appeared a most iniquitous scheme to me—to fight ourselves for what we are daily robbing and plundering from those who have as good a right to freedom as we have. - Abigail Adams (circa 1775)She wrote these words about 90 years before the Emancipation Proclamation. To think that this idea was part of the conscience of the

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-36377163810158727292009-05-16T10:38:00.001-05:002009-05-16T10:38:00.635-05:00

Bruce Springsteen and Roy Orbisson:When I think of The Boss, I think of a down-home, tough, exuberantly good-natured kid. Roy Orbison, on the other hand, seems to me a coke-bottle-eyed, creepy old man with awkwardly enormous black hair and more than one song seething with innuendo and double entendre.Of course, I didn't know Roy's music until after he was dead, long after he released it. But I

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-10745309409872096892009-05-13T09:05:00.000-05:002009-05-12T21:25:23.035-05:00

Don't miss the six-and-a-half hour season finale of So You Think America's Next Top Biggest Dancing Loser Celebrity Idol Apprentices Race to Makeover Hell's Runway Ladder Chef Swap on MSNBABCBS!

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-58641430905378395822009-05-10T21:17:00.000-05:002009-05-10T21:17:00.900-05:00

'Cause, I think I'm goin' blindAnd I know how it's to beLittle lady, can't you seeYou're so young and so much different than II'm 93, you're sixteenCan't you see I'm goin' blind-KISS, "Goin' Blind, Hotter Than Hell

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-30048721169781662932009-05-08T07:16:00.000-05:002009-05-08T07:16:00.495-05:00

We have too many high sounding words and too few actions that correspond with them.-Abigail AdamsThis seems just as relevant today as it was back in the late 18th century.

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-12564875498440002442009-05-04T20:58:00.001-05:002009-05-04T20:58:00.727-05:00

Written by me in my sophomore English journal, when I was 16 years old, on October 16, 1995:...Maybe you read my previous entries and decided to give us a choice, knowing that I would write about my own subject. You probably liked my other entries, so you're letting me elaborate on them more. Or maybe you haven't even looked at them and don't care what I write about. The latter statement is

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-32690137699992358212009-04-30T12:41:00.000-05:002009-04-30T12:41:00.300-05:00

A squid eating dough in a polyethylene bag is fast and bulbous. Got me?- Captain Beefheart, "Pachuco Cadaver", Trout Mask Replica

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-70200928168503214632009-04-25T08:06:00.002-05:002009-04-26T13:17:53.141-05:00

I'm makin eyes through my sharp sunglasses She's such a brat now I'm packin her cigarettes I guess I'll take off these great sunglasses And makes her look me in the eye before she's taken away-Kings of Leon, "Camaro", Because of the Times

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-46861736027204290742009-04-19T19:15:00.001-05:002009-04-19T19:15:00.678-05:00

A while back, I said I wanted to post more frequent, less deep (shallower, I guess) posts. I have yet to do that. So, I've figured out a way to do something very simple and easy, yet it still gives a glimpse of what's flying around in my head.I'll periodically post random snippets of lyrics that I dig. From either old music or new, just random snippets I think readers might enjoy. No real

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-55470465525787731802009-04-15T20:59:00.005-05:002009-04-15T21:33:19.827-05:00

The most critical aspect of my family's commitment to spending our money wisely is actually seeing the money. Holding the cold, hard cash. We are employing an "envelope system" where basically all the money that we spend that isn't a regular, monthly bill, we take out cash for and put it into well-labeled envelopes. We had tried to "do a budget" a few years ago, but it ended up just being a

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-78105628960763886102009-04-02T21:14:00.000-05:002009-04-02T21:14:00.432-05:00

In On the Road to Financial Peace, Vol. 1 & 2, I talked about how I finally broke down and listened to my wife's & friends' advice and listened to Dave Ramsey's presentations about getting out of debt, and about my initial skepticism towards it. Now I'll talk about how and why I not only stopped being skeptical, but how I'm motivated to LIVE the program and believe that it will work.The success

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-61011364437980824882009-03-29T08:00:00.000-05:002009-03-30T21:09:05.884-05:00

I don't use this blog forum very often as a "vent", but I'm gonna do just that right now, and hopefully I'll have my own thoughts straightened out a bit as a result.Most, if not all of you know that I maintain a fairly regular (some would say obsessive-compulsive) workout regimen, which I reluctantly admit includes a substantial amount of time at the YMCA, either on the treadmill or doing random

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-9377130647189178742009-03-27T22:47:00.002-05:002009-03-27T23:05:00.648-05:00

I feel the need to share a humbling/embarrassing experience with my current book on tape: Mornings on Horseback, by David McCullough. It's a fairly straightforward biography about Theodore Roosevelt.To put the book into context: it's almost 20 hours long. Almost exactly half-way through it, I was completely caught off-guard. Like one of those oh, you didn't know Bruce Willis was already dead

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-14731567236166727932009-03-24T08:00:00.001-05:002009-03-24T08:00:01.493-05:00

During the first few minutes of the first day that I listened to the Financial Peace University cd's during my commute, I admit that I was a little skeptical that this was a scam. There are obviously a lot of financial scams out there, and my presumption was that this was going to be one of them. It makes sense: some guy standing in front of a bunch of people talking about how they can get, and

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-88142722419516733112009-03-04T21:33:00.008-06:002009-03-18T21:02:18.979-05:00

I'm not much of a reader.Three years ago, my wife urged me to read Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace Revisited.I'm not much of a reader.It might go without saying that I didn't read it. In fact, it took a good dose of serendipity for me to finally become acquainted with Dave's incredibly motivating, understandable, common sense approach to personal & family finances. Just before my wife asked me to

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-36394266655079004252009-02-28T07:02:00.000-06:002009-02-28T07:02:00.328-06:00

The elusive now, always is, yet never was. It's not now if it was. If now was, it would be then. So, now never was, and it never would be. Now is. (...and always will be???) No. Now will not always be, because then it would be.When my brain is on overdrive trying to comprehend something like this, I like to look to Spaceballs for Mel Brooks' near-infinite wisdom: When will then be now?

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-48237032492354129002009-02-21T10:18:00.004-06:002009-02-21T10:18:01.196-06:00

I always feel the need to mathematically, practically, sociologically, or pragmatically explain my reasoning when I share any sort of interesting fact or tidbit or even a joke. For instance: If I were to share the "Coming home from work Friday vs. Going to work Monday" video with anyone, I would feel the need to explain why I think it's so funny: because everyone can relate to it, and it's

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-41407090805315573102009-02-14T09:29:00.002-06:002009-02-14T09:29:01.856-06:00

Used as a universally-accepted admonition of due course in prior correspondence; self-acknowledgement of proffered fair warning or urged caution. This phrase has it's origins in the Midwest, mainly in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Can be used in a variety of forms, functions, and contexts. Examples:Atulda-muhsez I ain't gonna go nowhere near that dare bar again, hey, if he's gonna keep channel

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-70522784588678280592009-02-11T08:33:00.000-06:002009-02-11T08:33:00.766-06:00

The problem I see with traveling faster than the speed of light is that we won't be able to see where we're going.Bah-doo *crash*

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-11742493075189856242009-02-05T10:56:00.011-06:002009-02-07T07:28:56.601-06:00

I recently had the pleasure of watching Saturday Night Live's Best of Chris Farley video in it's entirety. I'm quite sure I've seen it before, and I know I've seen each of the skits several times, but this time, the introduction presented by Tim Meadows at the beginning of the Best of video struck me as alarmingly somber and honest, not a tone normally taken by anyone who has ever been on the

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-45735851521750778152009-02-04T08:27:00.003-06:002009-02-04T08:33:16.482-06:00

What??? The President of the United States of America admitted he made A MISTAKE? When was the last time this happened....20+ years ago? Being the historical ignoramus that I am, I have no idea, but I can certainly say I don't remember hearing anything resembling "I made a mistake" coming from any previous president.Of course, being the bigger man that he is, he's taking the blame for something

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-21423503544661086812009-01-28T19:33:00.006-06:002009-01-29T09:04:53.173-06:00

Maybe as a delayed New Years'-type resolution, I think I'll start posting more frequent, less intricate/pretentious/dignified posts. At the outset of my blogging career, I noticed a significant boost to my esteem/confidence/morale, and I naturally attributed it to the catharsis of spilling my guts about stuff somewhat frequently using this forum. But the postings obviously have decreased in

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-62098996958046459602009-01-25T14:27:00.000-06:002009-01-25T14:27:43.624-06:00

I use words like:accurate.indicate.negate.correct.discourage.time-frame.incorrigible.terminated.dislodged.vehicular manslaughter.asphyxiation.ignite.preposterous.miscalculation.misappropriated.forensics.unsubstantiated.circumstantial.technicality.disenthrallment.

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-58817838880426900922009-01-20T07:45:00.008-06:002009-01-20T13:13:15.345-06:00

when you have one of these?I found it in a catalog of HVAC products. Note the disclaimer in the lower left-hand corner:I guess it was too good to be true. Obviously there is a reasonable explanation: people have to design HVAC systems for prisons, too. They have to be inherently more secure than other HVAC systems...but this morning, as I was browsing through a catalog in search of floor

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-46694672002463418472008-12-23T22:44:00.000-06:002008-12-23T22:44:01.637-06:00

Now that I've got a fairly substantial commute every workday, I've been taking full advantage of "reading" books on tape/cd (or as I often verbally slip: cd's on tape) on the 1 hr+ ride to and from work. I've almost completed my second book by John Krakauer, Into the Wild, (the first being Into Thin Air) and it doesn't take a genius to gather that these two books are somewhat related. They are

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-48060952803036526672008-12-22T09:10:00.003-06:002008-12-22T09:31:02.400-06:00

Toyota is reporting an expected loss....in profits. Meaning they're not actually going to be losing money, they're just not going to be making as much as normal. Meaning they're still making enough to pay everyone's salary and purchase their raw materials and function normally as a company this year, it's just that their stock value won't be going up as much this year as it normally does.WTF?

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-34609835671366674102008-12-16T21:42:00.001-06:002008-12-16T21:52:01.461-06:00

If there are any regular readers left out there, I apologize for my extended lameness. Commuting and shoveling, blahblahblah. This post doesn't go too deep, but this incident is worth mentioning, as far as learning-from-stuff-that-happens goes.The other day I was ushering in my church, and at the end of the service, as I ushered out an extremely old man in the front row, he got right up in my

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-68547158963505535592008-11-26T09:43:00.000-06:002008-11-26T09:43:01.404-06:00

Unseasonably moronic, a session of disaster gets triangulated by two aimlessly accelerating mishaps. Rightfully so, many with similar opinions repeatedly believe their sinister omissions. It's difficult to sniff out the logic in truth, so we distance ourselves like understandably stubborn victims. A chance repetition is cleverly hidden in the daily published riddles. Beyond the marvelously

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-10366144976735862882008-11-22T20:38:00.003-06:002008-11-22T21:54:37.384-06:00

You might think this post will be about our current political situation, seeing as how one of my last posts & following comments made it seem like I was quite obsessed with the whole process. But I'll avoid political commentary here, and share my recent incredibly exciting, but humbling life development. In my Maybe It's Just Me post from this past April, I took a rather scatter-brained

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-47604941071730905192008-11-18T21:17:00.002-06:002008-11-18T22:06:16.211-06:00

Back in March, I ranted about how I thought the band TOOL was so much better than Metallica. It wasn't an incredibly strong argument, but I was quite proud of my "comparing Metallica to TOOL is like comparing nanotechnology to boogers" analogy, so thus it became the title of that post.Only later did I start to ponder just how comparable something like nanotechnology is to something like boogers.

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-26115568565296741692008-11-01T20:03:00.009-05:002008-11-02T17:35:23.416-06:00

If I were to imagine the embodiment of the Anti-Christ, it would be something so intelligently deceptive that it has completely blind-sided millions upon millions of otherwise faithful and believing Christians. It would be something that claims to value many of the same principles that are shown to us in the Bible, with at least one very major exception.I've been drilled with countless mailings

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-1257761704508960322008-10-30T23:11:00.002-05:002008-10-30T23:13:05.463-05:00

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-73489870057889866812008-10-29T21:17:00.003-05:002008-10-30T08:30:30.771-05:00

Once upon a time, in the town of Er,Whatever, there was a boy named Er,Whatever. Er,Whatever had a pet dog named Er,Whatever, and one day the two Er,Whatever's took a long walk through the woods of Er,Whatever. They came up to a trail, so, Er,Whatever said to Er,Whatever, "Why don't we take this trail and see where it leads, Er,Whatever?" Er,Whatever barked enthusiastically in reply to Er,

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-61606030248805409212008-10-16T06:18:00.000-05:002008-10-16T06:18:01.144-05:00

Very often I hear a translated quote from someone being interviewed in a third-world country ravaged by war or famine or poverty on NPR or another news station, and that quote ends up being the most profound thing I've heard all day. Often, this quote is from someone that barely has an education beyond a grade school level, if that. I consider the fact that hardships force you to realign your

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-51341691125782756012008-10-12T00:57:00.007-05:002008-11-22T21:53:38.819-06:00

rests in the Collective Erratic Will of millions of intensely greedy, short-sighted stock brokers under strict orders from gluttonous, selfish, silver spoon-fed millionaire company executives.Let's hope these arrogant snobs start to get happy with how many useless and pointless gadgets, goods, and petroleum products we lower-middle class family frumps are consuming!! Otherwise they might have to

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-51442371155680397792008-10-05T20:00:00.000-05:002008-11-22T21:53:57.913-06:00

Turns out being a man is kinda the opposite. As much as my pitiful little pride wanted to feel sorry for myself, as much as I thought I might have an excuse to put myself first, every logical molecule in my body told me otherwise. Every moderately mature segment of my gray matter told me that there are many things that are more important than myself, and this is most certainly one of them.The

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-73168681220563659462008-09-06T22:08:00.009-05:002008-09-06T23:24:58.234-05:00

Are you looking for an exciting new career in the food service industry? Join our team of lackadaisical ladies and eccentric gentlemen at the [location undisclosed] [restaurant chain name undisclosed]!In your fulfilling new job as a Host/Hostess, you could:Huddle in small "server" groups, blocking the entrance to the front door!Insecurely brandish throbbing, infected, new facial piercings!Forget

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-42472224409762709442008-09-03T08:00:00.002-05:002008-09-03T08:00:00.540-05:00

The Dandy Warhols don’t need kitsch-y neon soup labels to make their mark on popular culture. These quirky fellas from Portland rely on their detached-yet-addictive pop sensibility to add to their expansive and diverse mix of tracks from over 6 albums since 1995. You can get your fix of trance-guitar, Velvet-Underground-era Lou Reed tributes on tracks like “Lou Weed” from the Dandy’s 1995 debut

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-66199292119182547382008-08-31T23:01:00.002-05:002008-09-11T19:52:02.456-05:00

Embracing Sustainability. At first, it sounds all warm and fuzzy, like something that you'd do at a relative's wedding when you see your great aunt that you haven't seen in years. Mostly because a whole bunch of your relatives are watching, you give her a cute, short, little hug...maybe kinda graze her cheek against yours...probably never look her in the eye for more that half a second. And

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-56111732724666091222008-08-29T06:54:00.003-05:002008-08-29T07:00:32.695-05:00

Bust out your Morse Code charts.(I'm sure someone else has already made this joke, but pretend you haven't heard it anywhere else)

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-8448385661957261152008-08-28T06:10:00.002-05:002008-08-28T21:31:24.711-05:00

tales of irony and unholy juxtapositiontechnology meets poor hygieneI'm entitled to free-load, man

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-55080162526290120632008-07-14T08:00:00.001-05:002008-07-14T08:00:00.502-05:00

The musical legends of Senegal, Orchestra Baobab, deliver their fluid mix of African/Cuban/World music to the Barrymore Theatre on Sunday, June 29, 2008. As ground-breaking, yet traditionally grounded artists performing in Senegal in the early 1970’s, Orchestra Baobab melded the wildly popular Cuban music scene (think jazz-salsa-tango) with the traditional Senegal Griot culture (think witty,

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-56716792715193167702008-07-07T08:00:00.000-05:002008-07-07T08:00:30.935-05:00

As the American music festival scene heats up, this burgeoning offshoot of popular culture is increasingly reliant on diversified, electronic jam-oriented acts as a key component of the festival atmosphere. Georgia natives STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9) are one of the most innovative and energetic live electronic jam acts on the festival scene today. Combining sounds ranging from electronic,

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-39602047850959029952008-07-04T17:56:00.004-05:002008-07-04T18:17:51.079-05:00

Whether you’re a Deadhead who has seen countless Grateful Dead concerts or you never had an opportunity to see the original Dead lineup live, Dark Star Orchestra can and will fulfill your need to see a Grateful Dead show. This tribute band is known for their extraordinarily faithful renditions of not just individual Grateful Dead songs, but entire Dead concerts. While they have been known to

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-41128182656321673962008-06-17T21:29:00.000-05:002008-06-17T21:29:00.509-05:00

You gotta get behind the mule…the Gov't Mule, that is! A former Allman Brothers side project, the bureaucratic donkey-horse is widely acclaimed for their viscerally riveting live performances that include original, soulfully slow and heavy blues power-trio compositions and passionately crafted epic covers of some of rock n’ roll and the blues’ most legendary songs. Some of their most lauded

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-4960166343904100692008-06-13T06:00:00.000-05:002008-06-13T06:01:20.716-05:00

(continued from a previous post)So, after a little discussion with his mother, we decide it's okay if he watches the wrestling tapes. On one condition: that I'm in the room watching with him to explain why a certain move was done or to stamp out any potentially learned ill behavior - like when my teenage videotape counterpart throws his arms around and yells after a guy head-butts me or

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-12604207680829263032008-06-11T09:19:00.005-05:002008-06-11T09:25:54.958-05:00

The great Jamaican reggae legacy lives on at the Barrymore Theatre as Stephen Marley lights up a packed house with his irresistible mix of reggae, hip hop, and dance music. The five-time Grammy-winning artist grew up in front of the microphone in recordings with his father, the LEGENDARY Bob Marley. Stephen continued his career collaborating with several of his siblings, as a contributing

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-57090242882021123422008-06-06T21:20:00.001-05:002008-06-11T09:24:18.945-05:00

The legendary folk singer and guitarist Arlo Guthrie will share his dry wit, impeccable comedic timing, and momentous, politically satirical storytelling backed by his classic folk guitar style at the Barrymore on Thursday, October 18, 2007. On his “Solo Reunion Tour – Together at Last”, Arlo will rejoin himself for an evening of laid-back acoustic guitar, laughter, and incisive social and

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-14186024164821582132008-06-05T21:08:00.000-05:002008-06-06T23:44:55.783-05:00

Whether you label them as rock, southern rock, cowpunk, country, or alt-country, you’re still talking about the same Drive-By Truckers that hails from the famed music-recording spot at Muscle Shoals, Alabama. DBT’s put out their first two albums, Gangstabilly (1998), and Pizza Deliverance (1999) and toured extensively until their fame skyrocketed upon the release of their 2001 opus double-disc

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-77656348910126429112008-05-23T13:38:00.003-05:002008-06-11T21:50:02.696-05:00

but will never have an appropriate platform from which to spew them:-Yes, you heard me right, I said "F" as in "Fam". (on the phone)-Are you tired of paying for your simley's and emoticons?? Well, I found a great site where you can get them for FREE!-[It] Worked like a glove...-[It] Fit like a charm...and more random thoughts:-Is demeaning sarcasm in the workplace punishable? If so, a person

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-5223476076433455422008-05-22T21:12:00.004-05:002008-06-11T09:24:42.093-05:00

Heartwarming, delicate, nostalgic, poignant…all words that serve as breadcrumbs leading to the talented songwriter whose initial fame spread like wildfire when several of her songs were featured in the immensely popular TV series Grey’s Anatomy and One Tree Hill. Perched on the cutting edge of the modern day music industry, Ingrid Michaelson has independently released her sophomore album Girls

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-21411257721199158022008-05-13T20:43:00.005-05:002008-05-13T20:53:30.178-05:00

Scottish folk-pop singer/songwriter KT Tunstall continues her worldwide musical conquest by mesmerizing the audience at the Barrymore with her powerfully sweet, honey-dipped lilt and perfectly crafted, enthralling compositions.Tunstall is probably best known for her hauntingly irresistible, Grammy-nominated, U.S. Adult Top 40 #1 hit "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" from her 2004 debut album Eye

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-87946530835422889112008-05-04T13:37:00.007-05:002008-05-04T21:53:32.852-05:00

Finding a happy medium. I can't think of many instances where doing so would be a bad thing. But I would be hard-pressed to find a much vaguer (yeah, it's a word, I just looked it up) description of something so critical to happiness and fulfillment in life. I suppose it's the journey, not the destination...blah, blah, blah. My latest quest for "a happy medium" isn't just me sitting in our

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-59069962860619965012008-04-29T20:57:00.007-05:002008-04-29T22:06:26.577-05:00

- Why have I not signed up to go to the scrapbook seminar at the library this Saturday?- Do I need to watch other news programs as long as I catch Entertainment Tonight?- Would it be possible for me, or any other random United States citizen to live in harmony with nature, like Native Americans did before we eradicated them?- Frugal business substitutes windows and daylighting with nifty computer

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-55462793780130920562008-04-25T22:10:00.001-05:002008-04-25T22:13:40.688-05:00

Because for those brief 5 minutes when I let the credits roll, and some nostalgic movie theme music is whispering through my removed headphones, I'm still processing the awesomeness of a movie. I like to pretend my life is dramatic. Or or the drama I just witnessed is somehow connected to my life. Turns out I'm just a swaying, staggering, swaggering, slobbering hypocrite.I find it cathartic to

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-721995205374067622008-04-18T13:51:00.006-05:002008-11-22T21:53:28.189-06:00

What if my mind is the only entity that exists? Could I have imagined all of this? Could everything that I remember and everything that happens to me every day really be literally just a figment of my imagination? If it were, my brain is certainly more intuitive and imaginative that I think it is. (hmmmm....is that possible?)Otherwise illogical scenarios seem perfectly logical to me in my

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-56801345160212111142008-04-15T12:20:00.000-05:002008-04-15T12:21:35.701-05:00

"Creepy" is the only word that comes to mind when I see this little excerpt from the Berlin Journal. And I can't get that word out of my head as long as I'm looking at it. I'm pretty sure it's the angle at which the Holy Tot's head is cocked that makes me wanna drive to Berlin and shake the person that took this picture by their shoulders and ask them "Why did you think this picture is

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-90206541425355918192008-04-12T09:20:00.000-05:002008-11-22T21:53:57.913-06:00

CAUTION: There is no coherent debate or resolution in this post, it is simply me wondering and rambling.Words thought mean what you think they mean, even if you don't know what most people accept them to mean. Words spoken mean what most people accept them to mean (depending on how you say them), regardless of what you think they mean.Is your belief based on words? If so, are those words the

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-28937474918455910172008-04-10T07:53:00.004-05:002008-11-22T21:53:38.820-06:00

Bush supports the proposed "pause" in troop withdrawal. After watching the last week or so in super slow motion a couple of times, then he'll fast forward through any commercials and skip to the part where Iraq is all happy flowers.

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-27910254967534648612008-04-08T19:22:00.004-05:002008-04-08T19:42:46.525-05:00

One of the boy bands responsible for the resurgence of pure pop music in the mid 1990's have matured into grown men. Hanson have honed their skills as songwriters and performers since the moment they hit the national spotlight as 11-, 13-, and 16-year-olds. The boys behind the monster hit "MMMBop" from their major label debut Middle of Nowhere have grown and bucked the system to release their

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-53118013131690228282008-04-05T09:00:00.002-05:002008-08-19T20:17:44.992-05:00

Watching teams like Memphis, UCLA, North Carolina, and Kansas: The shear concentration of muscle mass, speed, and agility exhibited by these young men is absolutely staggering. The quickness with which a 280-lb 20-year-old with a 7-foot wingspan can reach 14 feet up in the air to block a shot on a dead sprint...is literally unbelievable. I don't think I have ever even seen in person anyone

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730847539005970591.post-36384798913684952242008-04-02T19:30:00.001-05:002008-04-02T19:42:38.085-05:00

When people talk about spring, they may be referring to this season everywhere other than Wisconsin. These pictures were taken one day before April: Springtime is the land awakening. The March winds are the morning yawn. ~Quoted by Lewis Grizzard in Kathy Sue Loudermilk, I Love You The naked earth is warm with Spring,And with green grass and bursting treesLeans to the sun's kiss glorying,

Clayton Growhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02700319602649304202noreply@blogger.com0