The Exorcism of Emily Rose

A couple nights ago, I finally saw"The Exorcism of Emily Rose." It's a movie that I'd been interested in seeing, and finally got a chance when it came to the cheap movies and when I found someone else who actually wanted to see it.

I didn't expect much going into it, I was hoping that it would be a little scary, but that's about it. It honestly wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. There were a few disturbing/scary scenes, but the majority of them were shown in the previews. It was freaky when the demons would talk, that's always scary, and the most disturbing scene for me was when she does these quick genuflections (I think that's what they're called) where she goes on her knees and pops back up real quick. It's in the previews, but it really is scary.

It felt like something was missing from the movie though. I'm sure whatever the directors had in mind was accomplished, but I would've liked to hear more of the story. They really seemed to focus on the trial of the priest and not as much on the events surrounding Emily Rose. Don't get me wrong though, it is fairly interesting. But they have a possessed girl, five members of her family, a close friend, a priest who performs the exorcism and a doctor who was there, but the main character in the movie is the defense attorney. It seems like they could've picked a different viewpoint of the story or something. But that probably wasn't the point of the movie.

The good thing about the movie is that it raises the controversy of science versus religion. Of course, I'm biased in my Christian background and I believe in demons and possession and all of that, so it was neat to see how these supernatural events were explained. Now, I don't know how many people really believe that possession can be explained as epileptic psychosis or whatever, but obviously if you don't believe in God, you have to explain this stuff somehow. It almost seems like it takes more faith to believe in science than it does to say that there are supernatural beings that exist. Anyways, that was interesting.

The other good thing about the movie is that it reminds me that those things are real. That's a scary thought, and sometimes I'm not sure about how I feel about it all. I believe it, but that's easy to say. I've never had any experience with any of that stuff first hand (demons, angels and whatnot), and I don't know that things would be easier or harder to believe if I did, but often I forget that I do believe in a spiritual battle. It's scary to think that I actually believe there are things out there that can influence me. Heck, as I sit here writing it, I'm not sure I believe it. I wish I knew what my church teaches on all that. Like, how much are we influenced by that? Are certain temptations brought about by my own sin, or is there something whispering in my ear? I don't believe every sin is caused by demons, heck I don't even know if one is. What the heck, I'm confusing myself.

So anyways, the movie was pretty good. They could've made it scarier, but at least it wasn't over-the-top demonic or anything like that. If you've seen it and you actually read this, let me know what you think. I'm too confused to talk about it anymore. Oh and I guess Emily Rose isn't real, but it's based on some girl in Germany named Anneliese Michel. You can google that and read up on it. And the real priests and parents were convicted in her death. I won't ruin the movie by telling you if that preist is convicted. Unless I probably just did by writing that. Oh well, you should've seen it by now. But maybe I put that to trick you into thinking that's what happened.

The Engagement

Well, this is the story of how I proposed to my future wife. I'm writing this story mostly for me, so that I can remember it ten years from now and more. I'm not sure how interesting it'll be, especially if you don't know me, but it was still one of the funnest days of my life and I don't want to forget it.

It all started two nights before: the ring had just arrived from my uncle (Patco Jewelry) in California and I still had no idea what I wanted to do. I hadn't really thought about it, because it still didn't seem real and I work better under pressure, but when that dang ring showed up I knew I had to come up with something. I got nervous and couldn't sleep and then started thinking up little things that might add up to a fun day.

So the next day I had to take half of the day off of work to plan the whole thing. I went to our favorite restaurant, the zoo, our favorite dessert spot and the owners of the house we wanted to buy and asked if they would all help with the plan. Then I got some help from a few friends and my moms. So everything was ready to go for the big day.

***Just as a side note--If you ever want anyone to do something for you, just tell them you're proposing to your girlfriend. Seriously, I talked to managers at the zoo and restaurants and they were willing to do just about anything in the name of love. Anyways, you should try it some time. It's a great manipulating tool, which is good to practice before marriage.

Saturday morning I got up and went over to my girlfriend's house and we looked over some papers and stuff before meeting with the owners of the house. So I was all nervous about the proposal and was able to play it off by saying I was nervous about the house.

Well we met with the owners and made them an offer on the house and they accepted, so we were happy and wanted to "celebrate." I offered to take us out to lunch and tried to hint to her that we should go to our favorite restaurant: Yats.

Well, of course she didn't want to go at all. I had to practically beg to go, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense because Yats really isn't all that great. Just a fun little date. So I'm trying to make it sound like I just really have a craving for some chili cheese etoufee, which I kind of did, but you get the point.

Being the loving girlfriend that she was and knowing how I would eventually be wearing the pants in the family, she finally consented to some Cajun cooking. When we arrived, the manager had everything set up as I had planned. There was a rose with a pink note that said "I love you" waiting at the table I had requested. Now the menu at Yats changes every day, so they write the menu on a chalkboard. The menu for the day had the typical gumbo, B&B, etoufee, etc. and right at the top in huge letters it said, "Will you marry me?"


So my girlfriend stares at the menu and the manager is at the register staring at me and I'm staring at my girlfriend getting all nervous and the whole restaurant is staring at all three of us. Finally I ask her, "Do you know what you want?" And she says, "yep" and goes up and orders her meal. At first I thought she was joking, but after I ordered my meal and got drinks, I realized she didn't see it. Not only did she not see the writing on the wall, but she sat at a different table too. So when I come back with the drinks, there's an empty table with a note and a rose at one end of the room and my girlfriend sitting there smiling at me in the opposite corner. I try to motion her over to the other table and she acts like I'm crazy because she's already situated. Finally (since I wear the pants) she comes over and sees the note and rose.

She sat down and said, "What is this?" So I said, "Are you sure you got what you ordered?" She looks at her meal and says, "Yeah." I pointed to the menu and said, "No, you moron look at the menu." She slapped me and left. Not really. So I point to the menu and say, "Are you sure?" And finally she sees it and starts crying and I start crying (but only cause the food was spicy) and by this time all the customers in the restaurant are staring at us and they are both crying (cause I get gas when I'm nervous and had been blowing that place apart).

So I told her that I was going to ask her to marry me, but I wasn't ready to just yet. I had a whole day planned, so she would have to wait for me to get on my knees and do it right. We tried to eat, but I was too nervous and thought it wouldn't be a good idea to mix that meal with my nervous energies. So we left and went to the next stop for the day: The Indianapolis Zoo.


Well, we really didn't go to the zoo. They have this thing within the zoo called the White River Gardens.


It's just a huge garden. There is this big butterfly house of glass and ponds and flowers and stuff. It's pretty cool, I guess.



It's a good place to go if you're trying to get laid someone to marry you. So the Gardens has this miniature train that rides around ponds and various places and I thought that would be a neat place to put the next rose and note. I talked to the manager there and they agreed to help, so my roommates at the time (a couple of seissup)



went before we got there and set everything up.

My girlfriend and I arrived and looked at butterflies and just walked around trying to soak everything in. I was still nervous and hoping that my pants were soaking all of the gas in. We spent a long time just enjoying it and I took her to a bench that we always go to and had a stuffed animal hidden up in a tree with another rose and note. She of course didn't see it, so I had to point it out and she got it and was happy.



So then we went to where the train was riding around and she actually saw that one on the first try. It looked hilarious and people were watching us. One little kid tried to steal the rose before my girlfriend could get to it, so we pushed the kid in the pond, grabbed the rose and took off.



Next we went to our favorite dessert joint; a shop that sells frozen custard desserts and is owned by an energetic woman named Rhonda. This ice cream shop is creatively named, Rhonda's Frozen Custard. We were frequent customers, so it was exciting for her to help me out when I told her I was asking my girlfriend to marry me. Rhonda has one of those huge signs outside with the letters that you can change, like when McDonald's used to change the "Millions and Millions Served." So I asked her to put up in big letters, "I love you, will you marry me" or something like that. So that looked hilarious and I had another rose and note attached to her Reece's Peanut Butter Cup Arctic Freeze.



After that came the romantic part of the day where I took her to my parents place to play a song on the piano and read her a letter. I fumbled through the complex chord structures (C,D,A) and haunting melodies of my love ballad while she tried to make sense of what I had written on paper.



After that we played a game of Aggravation, which is a favorite of ours. I won since I rule at that game.

Then we went to the house we had just agreed to buy. My mom, her mom and her sister had been setting up our future bedroom with flowers, a blanket, music, wine and pretzels. This was the place that I proposed. It was really nice and I got down on my knee and everything.



The only catch was that I had the real ring in my pocket. The one I put on her finger was a $9.99 special from Wal-Mart. And even worse was that she liked it! She either really liked it, or didn't want to hurt my feelings. I thought for sure she would know it was a joke right away and we would laugh it off, but she was so happy and I just couldn't believe it. So like an idiot, I let the joke keep going.



So then we went to the Bachelor Pad for an engagement party and she starts showing the ring off to all of her friends and stuff. And none of them have the heart to tell her it's fake, or they think it's real too. So now it's even worse, cause I don't want her to be embarrassed. I started telling the guys about it, so we were cracking up. Eventually I had to pull her aside and tell her the truth. The good news is that she liked the real ring so much that she forgave me for tricking her.

*Bling!*

So then we went out and had a grand ol' time and now we're married.

Oh yeah, and I had made a crossword puzzle and word search with hidden messages in there. Just so I don't forget. So there ya have it, and if you read this far, you must be related to me. Just wanted to get this down to look back on and remember from time to time. If I ever think about it, I'll add some pictures to this post from the party and stuff. For now, you'll just have to imagine it.

Oh and of course, we live happily ever after...

I Got My Ass Kicked Last Night

Recently I bought a new house. New to me, but the thing is old. So we're completely re-doing the kitchen, which is exciting and fun. My job is to gut the place, which is also fun. I get to tear out cabinets and ceilings and floors and all. So last night I got started on some of that. A couple friends showed up to help, which I'm very thankful for and is one of the benefits of living in a community.

So anyways, the house definitely fought back. First I was tearing out some cabinets along one of the walls, and I swear I turned off the power to the electrical stuff on that side. Well, I guess I didn't and I freaking electrocuted myself on one of the live wires. That really sucks. Seriously, I hate that feeling. My teeth are still chattering. Not to mention, I felt stupid. I've still got a little mark on my wrist were it shocked me. It felt similar to when we all grabbed the electric fence out at the Curry farm. A little stronger though.

Then when I was chipping some tiles off of the wall, a tiny ceramic splinter dug into my pinky. I didn't find it till later that night, after the skin had already started to heal over it. So I had to perform minor surgery with a thumb tack.

Then the worst was when I was under the sink, trying to take it apart. A tiny speck of something fell into my eye and wouldn't come out. I didn't think it was that bad when it happened, but last night was freaking miserable. Everytime I closed my eyelid, it would rub against my eye. I couldn't get it out for the life of me. I ended up having to hold the eyelid up a little bit while I slept, and that somehow worked. I was hoping it would work itself to the corner of my eye overnight, but it didn't. So then all day today my eye was driving me crazy. Seriously, there's not much worse than a tiny something that constantly pecks away at you. Especially in the eye. I think I would literally go insane if I had to go through another night of it. Well, luckily I finally got fed up and went to the bathroom determined to get it out. I ended up having to fold my eyelid inside-out and finally found the speck. It took about two full minutes of scraping around in there before I finally got it out. That stupid little thing was the size of a pinhead, if not smaller. It looked like a speck of metal though, so that explains the sharp pain. Now my eye's swole and I feel like I just got in a fight. And lost.

So anyways, I feel all beat up today and I'm a little afraid of going over there to finish up. Anyone have any good tips on removing linoleum?

Note to Self: Please Read in 10 Years

Dear Me,

I am writing this so that in ten years you will remember what happened. I am assuming by now you are rich beyond your wildest dreams and have about 8 kids. Good work my friend. I trust they are all from the same mother. How's Kyle doing?

This note is to remind you how to score points with your wife of ten years now. Remember the day you guys were coming home from church (her church by the way, you're so PW), and she wanted some Long's Donuts, but you weren't a big fan and didn't really want any? You decided to go get some anyways, but upon seeing the line you complained again. Somehow this tiny little decision turned into a big argument between you and your loving wife, and you were dumbfounded as to how it could turn into such a thing.

Of course it was not your fault (as you well know, because it never is), but instead of trying to prove your point to those who will never understand (namely, everyone except for you), you decided to humble yourself. After dropping her off to do some homework, you snuck back to the bakery and bought a few precious donuts. Your loving wife was so surprised and happy that she forgot all about her previous (unwarranted) anger and dove into the sweet doughy deliciousness that is Long's Donuts.

Remember this small act and how it scored big points on the eternal tab being kept by your wife. Don't forget that it is better to shut up and do what she wants than to try to prove why she is wrong.

Sincerely,
You

Make it Stop!

Well, I spent THREE HOURS of my afternoon yesterday stuffing envelopes for wedding invitations. Man, that's ridiculous. Everybody already knows everything about it anyways. Boy, I can't wait till this stuff is done. It's a lot of work. Oh well.

Westmont College

Well, when we were in California, I finally got to take my fiancé to Westmont. It was a beautiful day and I should have taken more pictures. I meant to get a shot of the "penis tree," but forgot. It's a tree that has one huge phallic branch that defines the whole tree. It's pretty awesome. Sorry I don't have a photo of that to share. All I've got is a shot of the prayer chapel that's near a pond. Definitely a favorite spot of mine on campus.


She got to see the old dorms and classrooms and that was neat to share with her. Westmont also has the Wardrobe (Read story here) that inspired C.S. Lewis to write "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe" (can't wait for the movie!). That's pretty cool. It's in the English building.


We also got to stop in for a quick lunch and I forgot how awesome that used to be. Free drinks, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, fruit and soft serve ice cream any time you want it. Those were the good ol' days. We made sure to leave with a handful of cookies and a vanilla ice cream with sprinkles. Those days seem great to me now, but at the time I was always thinking of when I would come home. Weird how that works.

One embarrassing moment that happened in that cafeteria was near the end of my first year there. During the year at the dorm I was staying, they would have what's called a "study break." Everyone would stop whatever they were studying and head to the lounge for some kind of treat, usually a dessert. Well, once a year they do a campus-wide study break at the DC (dining commons). Some of the faculty show up and serve breakfast type foods (pancakes and such) to all of the students at like 10:00 at night. It's a lot of fun and a pretty cool thing to do, so I was looking forward to it.

About a week before that night I had taken some work to the beach so that I could study for finals. Well, I'm retarded and fell asleep studying and ended up being out there for like four hours. It's probably the worst I've ever been burnt. My face was literally purple. So it sucked and was painful and I deserved it.

So a week later it was starting to heal, and that meant a lot of peeling. I had like huge cracks all over my face and some of the spots had already lost the skin. So part of my face was dark and cracked and part of it was white with new skin. I looked like a leper. I was hideous.

Alright, so my friends and I all head down to get a meal together. We were late getting there, so the whole cafeteria was packed. It was seriously like every student in the school. So we go through the line and I grab my pancakes and some sausages and I'm feeling pretty good about myself. I get my drinks and turn to my friends (about 7 of them) and say something like, "Hurry up you tools, it's getting cold." And they say something about following me to a seat.

So I start walking to an open table and I hear the guys behind me singing "Happy Birthday." So I think, "Oh that's cool, someone's having a birthday party tonight." So the whole school stops eating and stares back at us to see who is having a birthday. I'm pretty curious at this point too, so I turn around. Sure enough, my friends have surrounded me and are singing happy birthday right in my decrepit face.

All I could do was turn around and smile at my fellow students, pretending to enjoy this nice surprise on my birthday. I'm sure if my face wasn't already burnt and cracked, it would've turned five shades of red. When I smiled, more cracks appeared and made me look all leathery (if that makes sense).

So I was pretty embarrassed and had to talk to people who thought it was my birthday and all my friends thought they were pretty clever. I was able to get revenge, but that's another story for another day.

Santa Barbara Sunrise

Just got back from my brother's wedding in sunny Santa Barbara. Here's a picture of my fiance and I at sunrise the day after the wedding. It was awesome. Hopefully I'll get more pictures up later, but probably not. I'm too lazy. I'll try to write more later too. It was such an awesome time. Surfed with seals at sunset too. I'm not sure if we got any pictures of that though. Anyways, it was a much needed vacation and I was proud to see my brother get married. Good times.