the good ole' days

as a kid i enjoyed watching re-runs of Batman (the campy live action show). they were fun and light hearted. i would laugh and wonder why Robin wore such short shorts.

that was my first connection to the characters.

they were bright and fun...

not until i grew older did i realize that this was not so in the comics.

Batman doesn't say "old chum". in fact he would rather throw a punch or a batarang.

he was dark and paranoid. he liked to put fear in people's hearts.

the Robin that was in the t.v. series had grown up and become Nightwing and the new Robin was annoying and soon to be dead.

as time passed, i couldn't stand watching the 60's Batman. it was not true to the comics.

wow, i now realize how big of a nerd i am .

why would i favor the darker over the lighter?

because i am a fallen man?

because i enjoy violence?

who knows.

what brought all of this on? while surfing the World Wide Web i found a book that talks about the influence Batman (60's show) had on a generation and on comics. it got me to thinking about sick days at home watching Batman and woody wood pecker. sigh... i hate getting older.

randomness seems to be flooding my mind today.

i can't connect my thoughts and i am just allowing them to spew onto the keyboard.

a dangerous thing this is (my inner Yoda is speaking). then i look down at my Chuck Taylor's and purple western shirt and wonder...when did i start dressing like a geek?

i think i am reaching that in between age. i am too old to wear the young men's t-shirts with skulls and i am too young to wear "members only" jackets with elastic waist jeans.

it's a bad place to be. it's kind of like middle school. you don't know where you fit.

i am afraid of becoming an adult who tries to act cool. what am i to do?

LIVE THROUGH MY SON!

that is what i will do. i will have my second childhood through him. he better be ready to watch super friends and play with he-man action figures.

btw: while cleaning out my basement i found a bunch of my action figures. there was one i always enjoyed playing with. his name was fistor (really odd name). he had a huge silver hand. why would Mattel name one fistor? just sounds so... umm... wrong.

plus: why did they have nipples?

think about it.

way back when

i remember when this book was very popular. so popular that southland Bible insititue made a class around it...

i didn't need the class. i had already kissed dating goodbye... well, at least while i was there...

i remember promising my mom that i wouldn't date anybody while i was there and like a good boy.... i kept my promise...

you should read the book... it is really funny.

satan's playground

i will not deny that i am a very intolerant person.

i don't like for people to ride my bumper. if you do i will slow down and when you are able to pass, i will speed up. it may seem rude, but i am sorry. i can't handle tail gators.

most of the time my intolerance is seen behind close doors. i will not allow others to know how close minded i can be or i guess i should say rude. it is easy for me to put a smile on in public and just think evil thoughts in my mind. what can i say? i am human.

but the behind closed doors way of life changed last night.

angie and i went to chick-fil-a for dinner . i enjoy their chicken salad sandwich and my gosh... those fries... my mouth is watering thinking of them.

it was the set up for a perfect quick dinner.

the only problem... that dang play land.

riley will not eat. he wants to play and ever seat in that building points to that area.

being the good husband that i am, i offered to watch riley while angie ate.

riley and i walked into the small room. there was about four 5-7 year old brats running around screaming. that shouldn't be a huge surprise. i should have known this would be taking place in this sound proof room. so i just smiled and let riley pick what he wanted to do first. what got me was the lack of parental supervision. i was the only adult in that room.

the screaming made riley a little worried, but he pushed through the fear of that little brat's battle cry. he climbed to the top of the slide and came laughing down.

i loved listening to him laugh and say "again". it was going to be the perfect father/son moment.

as he began to go down the slide again, this little girl started to climb up the slide... she sat there blocking riley's exit. i asked nicely if she would move. she just looked at me.

i took a deep breath...

"could you please let my son get by you?"

*snicker*

"please move!"

she finally let riley slide by, but she kept doing it.

she kept getting in his face and blocking his way.

the rest of the kids were just back ground noise until this fat little boy pushed riley out of the way.

riley just looked at him and kept going, but i was ready to fight this kid. how dare he push my son?

i could feel my face and neck getting red. i started to look out the glass windows to try and figure out who gave birth to these little demons.

i think angie has a way of sensing when i am about to get upset. she came in and told me to go eat.

i sat down and ate my wonderful food, but there was anger growing in my heart.
i looked around at all of the parents just sitting there ignoring their little brats in the play land.

i found myself wanting to just stand on the chair and scream profanity's at them.

letting them know that they are responsible for their children. that they need to be in there with them and that i was pretty sure one of them crapped on themselves.

before i was able to step onto my chair, angie came out and told me she was ready to leave.

the absent parents were spared... this time.

i hate play lands. if i have my way riley will never go to another play land... and if he does.. he is taking his brass knuckles and i will be wearing my butt kicking shoes.

my home (you may hate it, but i like it)

i once heard "beattyville is not a destination"...
to many this maybe true.
to many this is just a small town with nothing to do.
a poor community that is riddled with drug abuse and poverty.
a redneck town that is not in touch with the world outside of the mountains that surround it.
i am not going to lie. most of these thoughts are true, but if you look closer you will see more.
you will see a town that still has life it in. sure it may be a life hooked to life support, but it is still breathing.
and i am thankful for that.
i actually love my little town.
i love being able to walk down the street and have people speak to me. to have a real conversation while waiting at the bank.
to have a community that will support the newest person to battle cancer.
the list could go on.
i could never find this in a large city. to find such a close community or another woolly worm festival (i actually think there is another town that has one, but it's not the same...or so i tell myself).
i would never be able to walk out on my porch and look at the stars and that odd planet that looks like it is moving in a figure 8 pattern (long story, but i swear it is moving).
i will not deny that some times i wish we had more to do in this town, but i think that is the charm of this place. it forces us to go for a walk in the woods or to just slow down and sit on the porch and watch the clouds race over the hillsides.
beattyville may not be a destination, but it is my home.
it is the town that i want to raise my son. where i know that people will be watching his every move and run to tell me when he is doing some thing that he shouldn't.
i want to die in this town.
some would look at me with pity...
"there is so much more out there."
"why would you want to stay in a place that is dying?"
and my answer to them... because i want to.
i have spent a lot of time away from beattyville. i enjoy city life, but only for a short time.
i guess i am more country than i want to admit some times.
so if you are ever traveling through kentucky... stop by beattyville... i promise to buy you an ale8 and take you for a nice slow walk through the mountains.

twitter

robin and i agree on some thing...

using twitter did feel a "bit weird".

i will admit. i fell into the twitter trap, but once i started (tweeting) using it i found out that it was making me more self centered. i was always talking about what i was doing. even if i was doing nothing i tried to make it sound exciting. then i started following people. ugh... some of them i did like to hear what they were doing through the day, but most were more self absorbed than me.

so i gave up twitter.

i have a blog and facebook to talk about myself... why add to the list?

can you believe in God and aliens?

i want your thoughts on this!

gungor (best worship album i have heard in a long time)!

i will admit that i don't listen to too much Christian music anymore. i have found that some of it is self centered and shallow, but once in awhile i will find a artist that will continue to encourage me to keep pushing myself to be a better person in Christ.

gungor's album beautiful things does this. the lyrics are simple in some ways, but they still hit home and make me wonder about my own walk with God.

some lyrics are thought provoking. the song cannot keep you had me questioning the way i view the Bible and the church. the song states

"We cannot keep you in a church, we cannot keep you in a Bible or it's just another idol to box you in. they could not keep you in their walls, we cannot keep you in ours either, for you are so much greater."

the Bible as an idol? at first i was offended, but the more i thought about it i realize how some people try to say that God will not work in ways that He once did in the Bible.

i once heard a speaker who said that God will no longer speak through a burning bush... why? because we have the Bible (the speaker said that, not me) and God no longer needs to speak to us through such things. hmmm... i have yet to find that verse in the Bible... it must be next to the no drum beat rule and kjv only section.

why can't He speak through a burning bush still? i have no idea why one would teach such a thing, but God is bigger than the Bible and what we believe. i know i am no where near understanding who God is, but i doubt i will ever say He cannot do some thing (i am still holding out for a thick head of hair).

i guess i say all of that to say, i love this album...

i hope you will give gungor a chance.

aquaman's history

saw this on digg and loved it!

dear man at the urinal

i do enjoy witty conversations and hearing about the weather and how years ago it was much hotter, but not at the urinal. not to mention you are not keeping your eyes straight ahead.
yes, i do enjoy summer time, but i don't enjoy your pee spraying on to the floor next to my feet.
okay, i know i am fun to talk to, but i really want to just wash my hands and get back to work...
oh, i don't need you to follow me back to my office.
have a good day and from now on i will use a different restroom and i hope your hay gets cut soon.

tommy

random facts about me

-as a child i had a huge collection of he-man action figures. i would sit and play with them for hours and honestly still would if they had their arms and legs still attached.

- i lack will power and drive to workout. i want to get into shape and i can plan and write out everything i need to do, but when it comes down to it... i can't do it. i have no push. i can look down and see the view of my feet slowly fading by the gut that is forming in front of me, but still... nothing.

-i used to take adderall... not because i was adhd, but because i wanted to lose weight. it all goes back to the lack of will power.

-i will read one comic book over 50 times before i put it away in storage. i am not sure why i do this. it could be that it's all i want to read when i am in the bathroom, but some times you find some thing new around the 30th time around.

-i have almost all of my childhood toys in my basement and some times i go through them to remember the simple times and think about how i never got that lion-o action figure i always wanted.

-i secretly wish i knew how to work on cars. as a child my dad would try and get me to help him, but it was always hot in his garage and besides... it was interrupting my he-man cartoons.
now i wish i knew so i could take care of all the small problems that come up with my little focus.
maybe i should just wish i was rich. that would take care of everything.

-i used to want to be a rock star. i think i held on to that dream for a long time. i guess it is a good thing it never happened. due to the fact i am lazy with working out.. i am sure leather pants would just hurt my career.

-i can come up with an excuse faster than i can blink. i am not sure how i learned this talent, but i know it is a good one to have. it has saved me from a lot of boring trips to the movies and many uncomfortable conversations.

-some times i want to go back in time and tell people off. i am not sure if i am the only one who day dreams about that, but i would just love to just go back for one hour and just let some people know how i truly feel, but i am sure that if i was given that chance i wouldn't say anything.

-i hate being a people pleaser, but if you need any help, let me know.

-i am afraid of the long legged spiders that live in my basement. to help me over come this fear i am setting off a bug bomb some time this week.

-i enjoy making awkward moments, but hate when it is done to me.

i will end this long list by saying: i slept with a ewok doll until i was 10...

my newest project

before riley was born i did several paintings for his room of the tiny titans.

now i have found something else to paint for him. of course it is still the tiny titans, but most important... it is of my hero robin.. i mean, his hero robin.

god hates nerds? (i am doomed)

"They've faced down humans time and time again, but Fred Phelps and his minions from the Westboro Baptist Church were not ready for the cosplay action that awaited them today at Comic-Con. After all, who can win against a counter protest that includes robots, magical anime girls, Trekkies, Jedi and...kittens? Unbeknownst to the dastardly fanatics of the Westboro Baptist Church, the good folks of San Diego's Comic-Con were prepared for their arrival with their own special brand of superhuman counter protesting chanting "WHAT DO WE WANT" "GAY SEX" "WHEN DO WE WANT IT" "NOW!" while brandishing ironic (and some sincere) signs. Simply stated: The eclectic assembly of nerdom's finest stood and delivered.
As you can see below, the fantastic fanboys delivered the the church a humorous dose of sweet fan justice. ComicsAlliance was there to witness the spectacle in full, which you can indulge in yourself after the jump."

comicalliance.com

when i first read this i thought it was a joke, but then i realized it was not a joke. it was the work of a corrupted preach and his insane thoughts of who God hates. FRED PHELPS (DUM DUM DUM)!

it is preachers and "christians" like this that make the rest of us look bad.

the fact that someone would post signs at a soldiers funeral that they are glad they are in hell is sick to me. to post them at a comic book convention... hilarious and in need of attention

as a comic book nerd i find this funny.

as a christian it turns my stomach.

Jesus doesn't want us to be jerks!

let me just be honest

i loved the "nick" cartoon avatar the last air bender.

i am only saying this due to the fact the movie is coming out tomorrow. i have a few poeple in my life who will jump on the band wagon and i don't want to be looked at as one of those people.

i loved the story even if it was all Buddhist and stuff.

now you know how big of a geek i am...

i just had to get this off my chest.

list of things that annoy me

preachers who tell you to say amen (umm... i would rather tell you shut up than amen).



people who give me "advice" on how to raise my child (i know your kid and they are a brat... so please keep your advice to yourself).

when some one's only way of communication is through sarcasm.


when people call and only talk about themselves.


slow turners ( you don't need to stop and then turn).


deer flies (they are not as cute as the name makes them sound).


door to door salesmen (i have been ripped off recently... i now know i am a sucker).


videos for babies (i am selfish... i want to watch what i want to watch).


mtv (i am sick of your reality shows and dangit you are rubbing off on vh1).


people who whistle.


listening to sports on the radio.


not being in control of the radio on a road trip.


old men who call me honey (that's just creepy).


poop cramps.


a hot bedroom.


the color violet (you are purple).


comb overs.


disney tween and teen shows.


vegans who have to talk about how they are vegans.


people who always talk in a yelling tone.


country music award shows.


cheap toilet paper.


silence in the middle of the night (i need a fan running at all times).


little kids that talk during a movie.


drive-in movies.

people who point out i am going bald.

road work.

my neighbors dog pooping on my porch.

normal water.

swimming with teenagers.

long toenails.

using public restrooms.

some one in the urinal next to me trying to carry a conversation with me.

man boob sweat.

the last twinkie.

people who post pictures of them drinking with teens.

twitter.

nazi tattoos.

when people get a "passionate" tone when they talk about God (that fake voice that makes them sound spiritual).

bluegrass music.

dear ellen

today i realized how bad i wanted an ipad... so i thought i would write to the ellen show and ask for one.

"dear ellen,
i wish i had a heart breaking story about how my testicle was lost in a big wheel accident or how i rescued baby raptors from a burning building, but that would be bragging... so i am just going to be honest. i want an ipad. i live in the hick town of beattyville, kentucky and i want to be the first kid in my holler to have one.
i have done nothing to deserve your love or awesome gift from apple (which some people think apple is from satan because adam and eve ate an "apple", but everyone knows it was a mushmellon. just thought you would like to know that), but come on we both like women.
so please think of me as you hand out free gifts to screaming women while there is a man in overalls wishing he had an ipad to read david sedairs books like New Yorkers.

love and peace and all that stuff that is suppose to be free,
Tommy Hall"

what do you think? will it work?

"dislike"

everyone knows i am a comic book fan. i don't hide this.

i love comics cause i can escape from reality and just get lost in the world of spandex and super powers.

some times the comic book world gets too real (i know it sounds impossible, but it is true) for me.

ever since i have become a father, i have become very sensitive to issues dealing with children being harmed. i sit in court and listen to horrible stories and see pictures of children being hurt. it sticks with me. something about the innocent being punished just gets me.

i am kind of like brian in that family guy episode when he finds out he has a son and worries over everything...

sorry josh, didn't mean to become like that.

recently dc comics has been doing a story on a character named roy harper aka: speedy, arsenal, and red arrow.

he had a little daughter named lian.

it was a neat twist on the character. he was a super hero, recovering drug addict, single father, and womanizer. he was hot headed, but loved his daughter.

so i found it distasteful to kill off his daughter. it didn't really bother me that much. it is fiction, but when i saw the images of him visiting his daughter in the morgue it made me sad.

i know.. how stupid is that. i am getting upset over a comic book.

i just can't help it.

to be honest... each night i pray for my son to always be safe. i pray that i would go before he would. it's just what parents do... i think...

i guess the point of this post is.... lighten up comics... i don't care if you kill off adults... it doesn't bother me and what i want is more important than a good story... i think...

not sure what to make of this

my good friend, whom i will keep nameless due to the fact he is a shy guy, sent me a link with this picture and i couldn't help but post this...

a book that has changed my life

i have read many books in my lifetime that have touched me in different ways, but none has changed my life as much as this little book.

i recommend that you pick up a copy and join me on this journey.

i want them all!

for riley of course.

jennifer knapp

she is one of my favorite artists. her song refine me, was the first song i ever played on the piano. some will never listen to her again. some will act as if she is no longer a christian artist. will you still listen to her?



click on link to read article.

[link]http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/music/interviews/2010/jenniferknapp-apr10.html[/link]