Ruination Day

I regret to inform you that this might be the worst thing that you will hear for the rest of the year (it might just be bad enough to make this a bad year even if it was good up 'till now). What is this awful news? Rossie O'Donnell is slated to pollute the Broadway stage in none other than Fiddler on the Roof. I know, it is almost to hard to endure. But we must be strong in the midst of this horrendous atrocity and remember that no matter what they do on Broadway, we will always have the film with Topol and the strings of Isaac Stern. So don't cry, at least she's not playing Tevye!

Aouthor's thoughts prior to ch. 3

"Ask not what your country can do for you, but rather, what can you do for your country" -former president JFK-

Now I'm not sure if the quote above has anything to do with what I am about to write, but I'm not so sure what it is that I am about to write, so we shall just have to wait and see, won't we.

There are those of you who have read the first two chapters of an elaborate story that I have posted on this blog. Some are quick to accept but more are quite the opposite, so quick to slander. This is quite painful to me as an artist, or poet, or whatever whatever. Those of you who want to read The Cat in the Hat can do so, my story is not so simple and as easy to understand. I am not giving you the ending in the first sentance. The story may seem a bit odd, but every story has a starting place. This one just happens to have a quite random and weird starting place. You shouldn't hold this against the author (me) or the rest of the story (in the works).

So to get back to the opening line. Don't ask what this story can do for you, ask what you can do for this story...

Yea that doesn't make much sense does it!

It Isn't Easy Being Right

It isn't easy being right.

Sometimes I find myself wondering if there might just some benefits to not knowing what you're talking about. I read the other blog posts here on the Crum Family Blogsite and I realize that we're always right. Sure, there might be a little bit of disagreement over some of the details, but overall we're always right on. This perfection comes at a price though. Not everyone correctly interprets our self-sureness (what I like to call "Crum Confidence"). This is not self-reliance per se. Self-reliance contains a fatal weakness; not always recognizing one's weaknesses or limitations. Crum Confidence on the other hand is based on generations of experience. Crum Confidence is merely an acknowledgement of the fact that we have no weaknesses or limitations.

The reason I suggest that it isn't easy being right, is not that being right is in and of itself difficult, it is the dealing with always being right that can be so hard to take. When you get into an argument or even just a friendly discussion with a non-Crum, and you make your indisputable point, it just tugs at your heartstrings to see the look in that other person's eyes. Wouldn't it be nice to just once know that the other person is right? Perhaps even feel (what has only been explained to me by others) that sting of being wrong. Are we as Crums missing out on one of life's most important emotions; the agony of being incorrect?

Now obviously this is all just me rambling on, speculating on something that can never be. But it is good to think about, it may actually assist you in your Crum/non-Crum relationships. Try this next time you get into a discussion: Once you have dropped that all-encompassing, irrefutable, mind-boggling answer to end all answers, and as that glazed look begins to creep across the face of your friend, say "That was a great point! I never thought of it that way before". You see, even if we can't help but be right all the time, we don't always have to take all the credit.

What I want for Christmas

What do I want for Christmas? This is a question I wrestle with every year. I am not very good at getting presents for other people, but I am even worse at telling others what I want. I like music and movies and sweaters, that's about it. But today I found what I want... A Wooly Mammoth! Some Japanese scientists are working on cloning one, and so I figured it wouldn't be long before you can buy one at the Wal-Mart. What I have always liked about Jules Verne is the way he writes science fiction, I read it, then I walk outside and experience what he was writing about (rockets to the moon, underwater travel, dinosaurs in the center of the earth). Now it appears as if Michael Crichton will have his moment of glory when at last, pre-historic creatures are brought back to life (and eat everyone). Can I get an "oh yeah buddy"!!!

Ch. 2 - Cows and the French!

"To be lost is to be as one not yet found" - greek historian -

Angelina awoke to sound of an annoying blue bird outside of her window. Last night was somthing that she hoped she could forget. But the sight of three cows in trench coats stealing her '76 mustang 350 GTO was burned into her head. That is to say that the forth cow took a polaroid and than with the help of a cattle prod burned the photo to her head.

On a regular day she would just drive herself to work but this was no regular day. There was the small problem of not having a car. "Maybe I'll just call in sick today", she thought, as she headed to her large walk in closet. "I think that one day should give me plenty of time to get my "stang" back." This was all going through her head as she reached for and loaded her double barrelled sawed-off shotgun. "Those stupid cows are going to pay this time". Simply, she hadn't succeded in making them pay the last seven times, such as when they mowed the lawn to short one day, or the night that they danced all night on he roof in crudley made cloggs.

After dawning a rain coat and grabbing a bite to eat, Angelina left her home in search of the fiendish cows. Her search took her far and wide but nothing would prepare her for that which she was about to experience. It was about 5:34 in the evening as she journeyed through a wood she had never been in. The sun was quickly going down as she realized that her flashlight had French made batteries, and they were simply affraid of the dark. As she attempted to coax them out of hidding she became over confident with her knowledge of the surrounding wood, or just plain complacent or stupid. This resulted in her tripping over a slippery stone and falling over the edge of the very high bluff that she had been shortly before standing on. Branches and bramble slowed her fall, but her head struck a rotting oak trunk and she instantly was knocked unconscious.

New Music - Pandora

So you like music eh? I know that some of the Crum brothers have spent many hours (and in Jon's case, days) writing about their favorite musicians and their favorite albums and their favorite "greatest hits" and their favorite everything else related to music. Well, as I'm sure many of you can attest also, my musical tastes have been strongly influenced by the music that was in our home growing up. Just look at Jon's top ten albums and you find, of course, the Beatles over and over again. The music player on this very blog is based on music that we would have listened to, or heard Pop sing, growing up. River of Dreams by Billy Joel is one of the first CDs I remember ever seeing, Michael Jackson is, of course, our favorite break-dance music, and the theme to many episodes of "The Race" was composed by David Lance on the Desert Vision album. So how have we gone from our roots to where we are now? How did Nate get hooked on Dave Matthews and Hip-Hop, how did Matt ever hear of the Postal Service, and why do we listen to Iron & Wine or Jack Johnson? Well, obviously we have other people influencing our tastes in addition to our family. So I want to offer this little tool to those who still may feel confined by the music that everyone else listens to, or simply wants a change of tune... I have posted this on my own blog, it's called Pandora. You really should check it out. I don't often come across something that I can't stop talking about, but I have been telling everyone about this. You pick a song or artist that you know you like, and Pandora finds other similar music - stuff I have never heard before but really like. Give it a try.

[how does Pandora work? FAQ here]

"Quite Possibly the Astronomer Royal"

Why does the Christmas season follow directly after Thanksgiving?

I think it is a little bit strange that the day after we give thanks for all that we have, the day after our most contented day is the day we all rush about with our heads cut off in serious need of more, more, MORE!

I think some person in authority... who?... I don't know who. Quite possibly the astronomer Royal, should move the Thanksgiving holiday to a time where we really are thankful for everything we have, everything we have recently gotten. Sometime in between Christmas and Easter makes much more sence than just prior to the greatest shopping day of the year.

p.s. Does anyone else besides me remember that the Clauses would pray half-way through a meal just to be sure they WERE thankful?

Gary Larson: A Tribute

Gary Larson was a genius. Above is an example that made me laugh until I was tearing up. My favorite is the one with the two dogs who are being served their dinner, the one dog looks all excited and says to the ther dog; "It's canned dog food again!" As far as Larson cartoons that apply to right now, I really like the one with the big King Kong chalk outline on the street, and inside his chalk outline are a bunch of people chalk outline.. Nice.

BEN CRUM STILL COOL, SOURCES SAY

I simply wanted to let everyone know that there still are many people, including myself, who think that I am cool. To show some proof of this FACT I would challenge you all to follow this link and see for yourself just how cool I am. (If that link doesn't work go here and search for Ben Crum).

This semester is over!

One hour and 15 minutes of refraction and calculations and filter sandwiches was the final...well final of the 2005 Fall semester for yours truely. Having aced my math final (97/100) in a record 45 minutes earlier in the day I was anxious to complete my evening exam and file all my notes and sell my books, one week away from a road-trip to Florida. I have a little down time between then and now. Time to get an oil change, pick Nate up from the airport, maybe catch King Kong, make a playlist or two, wrap some gifts. This (should) will be the last road trip to Tampa to see the family. Come Christmas time 2006 and it will be a different, and hopefully shorter, stretch of interstate to see my family. And believe me, I've seen enough of I-75 to last a lifetime. The road from Chattanooga to Tampa is about as boring as driving across Kansas. No landmarks to look forward too, chances of bumper-to-bumper in ATL, and then reaching Florida and being slightly over halfway. The trip home is even worse, back to the slush and slop and blah of Bloomington.

And know for some Christmas Break Predictions:
1. - Pop will finally get that Jag he's always wanted.
2. - Mom will have one too many spiked (I mean spiced) ciders.
3. - Thomas will spend more time with Kalie than with his brothers from Indiana and Louisiana (this includes time she spends at the Crum house), but don't get me wrong, I also predict that I will understand.
4. - Jill Elisabeth will giggle for about 72 hours straight give or take a pig-snort or two.
5. - William will go undefeated at Tony Hawk (I'm bringing my PS2), but he will only be playing single player.
6. - Jesse will say something completely unintelligible, but we will all laugh because he's so cute.
7. - David will grow three more inches and another shoe size.
8. - Jon will make fun of Stephen to which Stephen will respond with either "Nerdy Brains" or "Dummy Fummy."
9. - Nate will announce the release of his long awaited "Mix Tape Vol. 1."
10. - And Matt will....... (I bet there could be some pretty good guesses as to what I'll do).

Chapter 1: Restless

Who could have ever imagined that three days could last a century.

"Only three days left", he thought, "so why can't I just calm down and wait it out?" But despite his best efforts he just couldn't get it off his mind. "I have the tickets, my leave paper-work is in, and my bags are packed... what am I so worried about? Man, this seems like forever!"

A brisk walk through the chill night seemed like a possible solution to the ever dwelling problem. "I'll just go freeze myself, to clear my mind", he thought as he slid out the door of his two story pent house. As he strolled into the nearby park he began to regret his decision to freeze as an escape from his ever looming anticipation. As he regreted his decision he found that he was lost and now in much need of a hot cup of coffee. "I'll just continue through this thicket untill I come upon a place to warm up and have a fresh brew".

One hour and thirty three minutes later he was crawling on his hands and knees through an ever thicker brush. It was so thick that he couldn't see an inch in front of his face. Panic began to overtake him as he struggled to carry on. Suddenly, as if by luck (or fate, or predestination) he happened upon a copper coin. Now this was a magical coin but he did not know that. In fact he just assumed it to be a penny so he payed it no attention.

Ignorance of the coin's true worth was he down fall but do not pity him because determination is his greatest strength. He pocketed the coin as if by instinct and druged on. The darkness surrounded him and the forest closed in, but he began to calm and except the fact that panic would only be a hindrance to him. With renewed hope he pushed on in what would be a more amazing journey than well... the band Journey!

The Crum Family: Behind the Legend (Part Two)

"I remember what my parents were like at that time" recalls Edwardo Crum, eldest Crum brother and leader of the Secret Police, an elite military task force specializing in Ausi-repelling and breaking in to "top secret" warehouses. "Pop would just pace the back and forth over the green shag carpet in our living room and Mom would stare out the front window at the Volkswagen (with Roles Royce front end) for hours."

There was no television, no VHS player, and no popular Christian Rap to listen to. The Crum home was a wasteland of coolness-drought. Then in the summer of '81 a revolution came, and it's initials were... M.T.V. Also Ben Crum was born. Though he was the first Crum baby to be referred to as "Ewok", he possessed that trait that all Crums would come to be known for... awesomenality (the nationality of awesomeness only attributed to the Crum "nation"). Ben was not the cause of the sea change that swept over the Crum family, but many say that he was the figurehead.

"Next thing you knew" recalls historian BJ Curly, "there was Ben's face on t-shirts, lunch boxen, and billboards advertising "The More You Know", he even guest stared in an episode of G.I. Joe (and I promptly had my Mom purchase the action figure for me.)"

The Crum family was on the rise. Their numbers were growing and their influences were spreading through pop-culture and politics. It is believed that the Crum family single-handidly brought the nation out of the recession of the '80s and with the guidance of Ben Crum brought in the technology boom of the '90s. "I know that I have claimed to have been the inventor of the internet" verbalizes former U.S. vice president Robo Gore "but the truth is that I simply assimilated the idea from the Ben Crum entity." It wasn't long before the name on the tip of every American's tongue (and often at the fronts of their shirts) was "Crum(b)". But their influence would not flatline, would not come to a climax, but rather would continue to grow. How far will the influence of the Crum's go as the world enters the new millennium?

Stay tuned for part three of The Crum Family: Behind the Legend

Pirates II

I thought you might all be interested in this (well, some of you might). I think it looks way better than the first one, mainly because they fight a giant squid... see the trailer here.

Matisyahu?

I would have to say that if you mix Bob Marly, 311, and Fiddler on the Roof than you will get the best new artist of 2005 (see Natedogg's blog). Matisyahu is a Jewish regae artist who was born in Pa (so give a shout out Pop, Peter, Matt, Ben, and Stephen). Check out his web site and his jams. It all rocks.

Christmas Gift Suggestion

Would someone please consider buying Pop a real lap desk for Christmas? His is homemade from cardboard and has served him well for many years, but it is shabby looking. I'm especially conscious of it now that the house is all in order and on the market, and there it sits on his footrest--looking shabby. It is wedge-shaped, 12"x 12"x 4" high at the back. I believe he uses it exclusively for holding books on his lap at the proper angle, so it shouldn't be too heavy and doesn't need to open. Please respond to this post as soon as you read it so that I know everyone has read it and I can remove it--I don't think Pop comes here often. If you're going to find a replacement let us all know. Thanks.

The Holiday Season is Here

This might be the coolest thing since the Numa Numa kid!!

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/videos/xmaslights.html

The Crum Family: Behind the Legend (Part One)

Why is it that the Crum family is so awesome? This has been the subject of much debate, many university classes, and a hit sitcom in the late 80's. What is it about the Crum family that makes us so proud and makes everyone else envious? I know that this has been the main theme in Edwardo's posts, but I would like to take a more in-depth look at this topic without referencing MacGyver (and without scary pictures of Pete).

As we look at the trends of awesomeness over the past few decades we see many trends, fashions, slang-words, and popular breakfast cereal ads have been directly influenced by the family Crum. However, the Crum family has not always had as huge an influence on the general public as it does today. In the late 60's the Crums were actually suffering from, what some experts refered to as, "a complete lack of coolness" and what others called "nerd like qualities." Even with the birth of the first four sons (Edwardo, Peter, Matthew, and Bob-kin) the family lacked the pizzazz it needed to function as the worlds top trend setting powerhouse.

"I remember those days" recalls Robert Moir, father of Jill Crum, "the whole family just seemed to be, well, weird. Let's just say they all wore matching knit sweaters, 'know what I mean? There was just something missing." It was a peaceful, quite time in the Crum home, but that would all soon change...

Stay tuned for part two of The Crum Family: Behind the Legend

The Rhythm Is Going To Get You!

I noticed that Ben posted a book review a little while ago and I thought to myself, "self, that is a good idea. Perhaps you should also post a book review. This would be a great way to share with everyone, informing and entertaining at the same time." So here it goes, my first book review blog...

Learning About Determination from the Life of Gloria Estefan is a heartwarming adventure about the life of a girl who became a woman who became a legend, a legend that can never die.

Gloria Estefan is one of those people that maybe you don't talk about her everyday, maybe you haven't heard her name in ten or fifteen years, perhaps you don't even know who she is, but she is always there, in the hearts of those who love music, real music.

If I have a pet-peeve when it comes to books, it's that more often than not they tend to use these humongous words that I don't understand and usually can't even pronounce. Not in Learning About Determination from the Life if Gloria Estefan...

I can only assume that Mrs. Estefan herself pushed to ensure that the reader would be able to correctly pronounce Cuba (KYOO-bah). I realize I am only speaking for myself when I get excited about this helpful addition, but I know I've been saying it wrong for years.

I don't want to give too much away about the meat of the stroy or the incredible twists in the plot, but this book is just chock full of amazing facts and mind-blowing information about Gloria Estefan. Seriously, I can't control myself, I must share at least one fact: Did you know that the Miami Sound Machine was originally The Miami Latin Boys! If you think that is interesting that's just the tip of the iceberg. If my excitement alone about this book isn't enough, just look at the front cover again. This is Gloria Estefan people! Get going to your local library or book retailer! The rhythm got me. It's going to get you too!

New Media Banner

Hey everyone, check out the new "Media Banner". Just click on "Media Player" in the picture and have fun!

Top Secret Christmas Gift Exchange

Every year a most secretive tradition goes on at the Crum house. The famous and mysterious Christmas Gift Exchange. Knowing that many of you, our faithful non-Crum readers, have no idea what I am talking about. Here's how it works.

After, and only after, Thanksgiving, the names of all the Crums participating in the exchange (usually limited to those who will be present at Christmas and under the age of Mom and Pop) are placed in a secret vault (or baseball cap).

The optimal system for "exchanging" names is still up for debate, but eventually, regardless of the system employed, each person has the name of another person. The questionable method often results in "pair-purchasing" or in person A buying for person B and person B buying for person A. This isn't a huge issue, but is worth the many hours of arguing that have gone into solving it.

Each person is notified of their "target" (AKA the person they are purchasing for), and the spy games begin. The truth of the matter is that the actual gift exchange and the subsequent gifts are not nearly as important as being the first person to find out who each person is buying for. This process takes on many forms, often involving bribes of political persons and assassinations of fringe family members.

So who will it be this year? Who is buying for me? Who is buying for Jill Elisabeth? Though the world may never know, Thomas is sure to find out within a weeks time.

CHURCH WARS

A short time ago in a church not so far away, I, Stephen P.B. Crum and assistant directors, David and Mark Lambert, created a masterpiece. We had all the right stuff to make Church Wars, from light sabers to a church. If none of the other Crums were in the movie-making business, then this would be the best movie yet made by a Crum. I will not take all the credit for my outstanding performance because David and Mark were pretty good actors. Yet, I was the main director and a reasonably good actor, too. David Lambert was the camera man but he missed a couple of cuts, and Mark was just plain funny.

My favorite memories of California

It has been about 16 years since we moved away from California, but I still often fondly recall our family trips to the Point Reyes Lighthouse (above). From here we would whale watch and enjoy the cool Northern California temperatures. We found many wonderful spots that we kept going back to. One such place was the Bear Valley Visitor Center (below) - and it's replica Miowak Indian village.
Of course these trips were most meaningful and enlightening to Jon, who was able to find a vision for his life at one of our familiar stops, The Cheese Factory. It was by this pond (below) that Jon realized that God's plan for his life was to become a Golden Retreiver, an expectation I suspect Jon still holds to.
This place has great, big, dill pickles, but very stinky cheese - Mom made us take the tour and we thought it would be like the Jelly Belly Factory tour, except by the end we all smelled like Brie and didn't want any free samples (except Mom of course). I really hope some day we can all go back here for a Crum family get together, visit the lighthouse and cheese factory, and relive these great memories.

Who This Is?

Well...It is about time. Yea folks all your dreams have finally come true. I am officially here( This is natedogg for those of you who didn't have this as your dream). Now that I've arrived I figure that my mind needs to now come up with some whitty crumb for yall to marinate your minds on for a while.

If that last sentance didn't make any sense do not worry because you are not alone. Three year olds who can't read didn't understand it either.

To start I'd like to give a shout out to my home boys in Wiscoonnnsin! (aka Brett LaFavre and company) I'd also like to give a big congrats to Joe and the #3 soon to be #1 Penn State Football Squad. Can I get a Yeeeaaa!.

The year was 2004 and a foolish young Crum with thoughts of adventure and heroism was sent off to a world so different from that which he had imagined. Basic passed in a short 7 weeks but it had changed him for an eternity. That is to say that if he hadn't gone to Basic he would never have learned how to shine boots, fold shirts into perfect squares or sing one of the four verses of the Air Force theme song (the other 3 weren't learned because they are in pig latin which he has no knowledge of). Tech School passed with little incident, except for the time he tried to shave a classmates hair while he was sleeping. In Dec. after a term of leave with his cool family he transfered to his current home of Barksdale Air Force Base in the northern part of the bayou state, Louisiana. Since his arrival he jumped right into working on the B-52 or stratofortress (don't ask what that means). Through his time he has increased his knowledge and picked up dirtbiking. And beside from the time he went to some guys wedding he hasn't really done much of anything else except write this blog and sleep. A lot of sleep. No really...I mean a looooottttttt.

Bye for now.

The Theory of Crum Relativity

In this world of absolutes it is good to know that there are still some things that are relative.

Everbody is so "this is right!" or "that is wrong!" There are even some who are like "no matter what, this is true!" This starts to get old real quick. How can one function in such a strict society?

There is an exception to this rule of absolutes, and if you are a Crum, you probably already know what I'm talking about... Spell the way it feels good. Some people might think that this is ridiculous. How could we all communicate with one and other if we didn't have a standard set for our written language. That's easy, eveyone should follow the standard set fo the written language, with the one exception of Crums. We are superior in our grasp of your language and therefore should not be bound by its lowly constraints. These standards and restrictions were obviously designed for the masses, and so let the masses stick to them. As for me, and dare I say I speak for all Crums, I will not stoop to the level of spell-checks and dictionaries. If you can't understand what I'm trying to say, it most likely wasn't meant for you anyways.

I am guessing that some will read this and find spelling and or grammatical "errors", in which case they didn't understand what my message is, and therefore have proven my point. On the flip side of that coin, if you have read, understand, agree and have not noticed any errors, then "how's it going bro!" Although traditionally there are only two sides to a coin, in this case there is a third... If you saw the picture and read the header and thought that "Relativity" had something to do with Macgyver and his grandfather Harry being "relatives", then "I'm very proud of you for being so funny, but this is my blog, so don't try to guess what I'm going to write about before you read it bro!"

Recognize this place (younger Crums may not)??

Anyone want a hotdog instead???

The Last Jihad - Joel C. Rosenberg

Maybe I shouldn't write a review of a book that I haven't finished yet, but this one is too good to wait on (I would be reading it right now, but I might get fired!) The Last Jihad is set in "a few years in the future" though it is kind of out-of-date (due to the fact that it was written before we went to war in Iraq). The story gives a great picture of what might have happened if we had not gone on the offensive with Iraq. I am not sure if I agree with the war we are currently fighting in the Middle East (I still have questions about why we are there) but one thing is clear: If we had not attacked Iraq, it would only be a matter of time before they attacked us (again?). I would tell you to check out the first chapter of this book, but be forewarned, you might not be able to stop there.

TcRuM is in the house

So now that I am finally on here I still have no clue what to write. I would write about sports, but the one team I love more than any other is garbage this year. I could write about Kalie, but then i would be boring most of you who know who she is, and those of you who don't, into a deep slumber. So I guess I will just talk about how life has been for me over these past months, cause I know that is a really exciting topic for everyone. I guess I will give you all the pleasure of reading this, because I know you are dying to know more info about me.
For starters I have finally got my new car that I had been waiting for what seems forever. It's new to me at least, but in reality it is a '98 ford escort, and I can't complain cause it gets me places. Along with my new car I have a four month old job, some may not know of, working at The Sports Authority here in Brandon. Awesome job, and I couldn't ask for anything better. What is better than making good money and being surrounded by all kinds of sports gear and fitness equipment? Some might argue their jobs with mine, but I am convinced mine is one of the best. Thank you D West! I am also attending the University of South Florida, and hopefully I will get to witness them in action for the first time soon against West Virginia, that game is going to be off the hook!! Yeah...wooooooooo whoooooo!! Go Bulls!! Sugar Bowl here we come!! So yeah that's what's goign on with me now, and things are great. Well from me to you peace.

How To Cope

It has been brought to my attention that there may be quite a few people slipping deep into depression ever since my last posting. When one comes to the realization that he/she will never be a Crum, or perhaps will not always be a Crum, this can be a very traumatic experience. Imagine going through life as Pete Thorton, knowing that you can never be Macgyver.

There is hope! Do not despair! I've already exceeded the allowable number of exclamation points in one blog!

The answer to all of you non (or ex) Crums is this: Hang around a Crum. It's amazing how beneficial just a few minutes a week with one Crum can be. Those of you who may be in the Tampa/Valrico area can't escape the positive energy created by this phenomena. Whereas anyone so unfortunate to be in Burma at this time would have to come up with creative ways to hang around a Crum (email, telephone, pen-pal, airplane ticket to Tampa). Pete Thorton didn't dwell on the fact that he was and always would be Pete Thorton, he just was happy to be Macgyver's friend.

On a seperate but related note, if certain Crums use certain words like "megalomaniacal", which other Crums have to look up in the dictionary, please just post a short defenition so as to save time. Thank you.

Can You Identify?

The Girl of His Dreams

"Jon has a what?" I couldn't believe it either...but here we have it, evidence that Jon has a girlfriend! I don't know how Jesse got a hold of this information, but somehow he did this rendering based on the inside scoop. If you look closely at the picture you can learn a few things about this girl (who's name we don't yet know): First, she is approximately the same height as Jon (7'4" or something like that). Next we see that her arms are only half as long as Jon's, and lastly she is either wearing a scarf or has some huge growth on the side of her neck. Well, great catch Jon!

Being A Crum

Being a Crum is all I've ever known.
Some people will never know what it is like to be a Crum, and that just boggles my mind. It's like never tasting chocolate, or never watching MacGyver. What would it be like to not be a Crum? I've asked several people what it feels like knowing that they are not Crums and probably never will be. I just get blank looks and muddled replies... Exactly!
I even know a few people who started out life not Crum and have since converted. When I ask them what life was like "pre-Crum" they tend to avoid eye contact and try to change the subject. I reassure them that not being a Crum didn't mean there was something wrong with them or anything like that, but I don't think I'm very convincing.
I am relatively new to blogging, so I realize I've already overstepped the depth of your average blog, so I will conclude with on last point: What would it be like to be a Crum and then one day to not be a Crum anymore?

Fire Down the Street

The other night some of my friends, my wife, and I were preparing to go caving (spelunking), one of our favorite past-times. We had assembled all our gear. Flashlights and headlamps, grubby clothing (the caves around here have soft clay floors and often have creeks running through them), and some bottled water. We were all ready, in fact we were putting our gear in to the cars when one friend, David, noticed an annoying noise. “What the heck is that?” Looking around we realized that it was the fire alarm going off in the apartment two doors down from mine. Through the open window we could see a haze of smoke and an occasional flicker of a flame. Quickly I ran up the stairs to see if anyone was home. Michal called the emergency line for the complex (it simply sent her to a voicemail-box), David called 911. We evacuated the neighbors, letting them know that there was a fire (which none of them seemed to think was a really big deal). Within 5 minutes the first fire truck arrived, soon followed by 3 or 4 other vehicles including 2 full sized fire engines. After breaking down the door and dragging in the hose, the firemen discovered the source of the smoke and flame… a burning trash can in the kitchen. I talked to the guy who lives in that apartment a couple days later and found out that his friend had flicked a cigarette butt in the trash can right before they left to return to the friend's house. The scorch mark up the side of the kitchen wall reminded me of videos I have seen of trash-can fires quickly torching an entire room.

Caving was fun. We weren't able to get out of our parking spaces to go until all the fire trucks were out of the way… but it's best to trespass on private property in the dark any way!

I pledge allegiance to the....

If you have sports related questions, what Crum do you ask?? Since I have been stereotyped as the sports trivia guy I feel I have an excuse to blog on sports related subjects, no questions asked. This shall be my first in a long line of such entries (Mom would say "Not of general interest!!").

I was recently pondering the nature of allegiance towards different teams, schools, players, etc. In this line of thought I came to several different hypotheses.

1. - We gather our allegiances from our parents.

In this thought I have a lot of personal examples. Growing up, and even now, I always find myself cheering for Penn State football. I, however, never attended Penn State, so why do I cheer for them?? Well my father, who ignited my love for sports as a young boy, always watched them and therefore I too became a Nittany Lion fan. I also cheered for his favorite baseball team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and pro football team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now I do see the direct connection. He was born and lived his entire childhood in western Pennsylvania. I was born in Philadelphia, so I also had the PA connection. But why wouldn't I be drawn to the Eagles or Phillies?? Simple, we never watched them play. If it wasn't the Steelers or the Pirates, we didn't watch it!!

2. - Location affects allegiance.

Over the first 18 years of my life I moved around a lot, from Pennsylvania to California, then to Missouri, back to Pennsylvania, and finally to Indiana. Over this period of time I had geographical influences on my sports allegiances. I cheered for the Cardinals while in St. Louis and developed my love for hockey there as well, cheering for the Blues (I now cheer for the Philadelphia Flyers - an allegiance I do claim because it is my birth city). Before moving to Bloomington I knew about Bobby Knight and Indiana basketball, but never was a fan. Having lived here for over 10 years now, I call myself a diehard Hoosier fan when it comes to hoops. The same can be said for my pull for the Colts. Live here long enough and you will go hoarse (pun intended) for the Colts.

3. - There are atypical allegiances.

Do I still root for the Pirates? The answer is no. When I was 13 or 14 the Atlanta Braves came along and defeated the Pirates in the NLCS. From that moment on I was a Braves fan. I guess I figured that if a team could beat the Pirates they had to be good. I found myself becoming a huge Braves fan. I liked their style of play, their manager Bobby Cox, and the fact that they were good with players that came up through their own farm system, not by going out and buying the best talent and biggest names (like the Yankees).
Likewise I cheer for the Florida Gators (you can root for several teams in the same sport, but this is a topic for another entry). Since I was made aware of Steve Spurrier's high octane offense I have loved watching UF football. When my high school's quarterback, Rex Grossman, went to and performed well at UF this just added to my devotion to the Gators. Now that Rex is in the NFL I still find myself pulling for the team and checking each Saturday in the fall to see if they've won.

So what is there to make of all this? Well nothing really. I guess you can pretty much cheer for whoever you want (just ask brother David who always cheers for the opposite of everyone else). I'm just convinced that you don't always control the factors to why you cheer for a particular team. I suppose if I moved to New York City I might even cheer for the Yankees. Wait, who am I kidding, I will always hate the Yankees!!!

What Is Art

I'm here to tell you what art really is... Art is a word in the English dictionary that has been tossed around and used so freely by every single person on the planet that it's meaning has been changed and the old entierly lost. (please don't mind speeling errors) Art is now whatever you want it to be. It's a word used to make someone feel special or original. "O i'm an artist!", or "wow, look at that sweet peice of art", are just two examles of how the word is just carelessly used by any ordinary person about any less than original thing or "art".i am sick and tired of this word. I don't believe for a second that da vinci or michalangelo would feel very special being called artists when billy bob down the street spills some paint on a canvas and not only calls himself an artist but is embraced by others as such. If we as, whatever we are, wish to honor the true "artists", than i think we will need to find a new word because "artist" no longer gives anything to set them apart.

(originally posted to the bcBlog by Nate Crum)

Emily Nicole Ellsworth

Many of the readers of this blog should already know who Emily Ellsworth is, but for those who stumbled upon this site, or just unconsciously feel drawn to it, I would like to show and tell you about the girl that (hopefully) one day will be a member of the Crum family. This will be brief.

Emily is a graduate student at Indiana University, getting her Masters in Speech and Hearing to become a Speech Language Pathologist. These studies consume a huge amount of her time and energy, but she still finds the time to work at Sherwood Oaks Christian Church, where her dad is senior minister, as well as spending many moonlight evenings with moi!! She is the older of two children born to Tom and Elsie Ellsworth, her sister Rebekah is a junior at IU, studying nursing. We enjoy shopping together and she loves eating at Italian restaurants, especially Carraba's, The Olive Garden, and a local joint called D'Angelos. While our tastes in movies and music differ drastically (she doesn't understand my music), we seem to get along quite well, and after three years and counting, our relationship continues to grow stronger. I often wondered why God puts certain obstacles in our lives, but I have found out that they have made me stronger, and that they have led me to the girl that He wants me to spend the rest of my life with. Just wanted y'all to get know her.

("Take that Mark!" - original art by William)

Remembering Big Bear

There are a few things that I remember about our time at Big Bear, but I think you're all gonna have to help me clarify my memory. In other words, I'm not sure if what I remember is Big Bear, or Washington state... that whole time of my life kinda' runs together. All that's to say, here's what I think I remember about Big Bear.

One thing's for sure, the only nightmare that I ever remember having (I know that I had others, but this one I remember in detail) was at Big Bear. The dream was that some robbers came to our cabin and were interrogating me, trying to get me to tell them where Mom's purse, the wellspring of all wealth, was. Of course I resisted telling them, and when they left me to go find it, I ran and hid it (or something like that). The scary part about it was that the dream took place in the very cabin that we were staying in, so when I woke up I still was afraid that the robbers would come back.

The other thing I remember is that the cabin was an A-frame – I'm not sure that this is true, it just sticks in my mind for some reason. Also, I have a memory of getting bows-and-arrows (with suction-cup ends) and shooting them at some cardboard target outside (though this could have been a Rouge River memory)...

So what do you all remember, if anything?

AuthorHouse - Book Covers

(image copyright authorHOUSE 2005)

So for those of you who don't know (and I kind of hope that all the Crums do know this), but I work at a publishing company, AuthorHouse, designing book covers. Here is an example of why I love my job so much. This author wanted an Asian woman holding a glass of wine in one hand and a fortune cookie in the other. Of course, we don't have stock photography that meets that criterion, so I had to make it from multiple images. It’s a lot of fun. Some of you may remember that this is my favorite thing to do with my free time anyway, so to get paid to do it for other people is great.

"If He's Useless We Don't Want Him Here"

Here's the first useless fact to escape my mind and find its way to the pages of this blog:

I am still the tallest Crum

El Matador

Okay, so it's not a foreign film, it's really just "The Matador" and it looks like it might get a few laughs. The basic plot works like this, regular Joe (Greg Kinnear) needs to get a new job so that he can make enough money to stay in his really nice house and buy his really lame polo shirts. He's having a hard time getting the job, so his friend (Pierce Brosnan) helps him out a little (thus the blowing up of cars and the shooting up of drug lords). The catch is... both men end up with very frightening mustaches, which begs the question... is the Tom Selleck 'stach coming back? Oh please, not that!

So why did I choose to review this film, well, I thought one part of it fitting... check out the last lines and tell me who that is? I'll give you a clue... no, wait, never mind, I won't give you a clue.

Welcome to the Crum blog

So this is it... the idea is that we all, the Crum family, can now share our thoughts, ideas, and pictures on one blog! That means you will get all the sports updates you could want from the minds of Matt and Thomas (and POP?); you can get all the movie info you want from Peter, Ben, and Nate; you'll get awesome drawings from William, Jesse (and POP?); and you get millions and millions of useless facts from the likes of David, Stephen and Jon! Mindbenders from the mind of David and Elisabeth... and newcomer insights from Michal and Jess... there may even be the occasional outsider commentary on how awesome the Crum family is (aka: a post ghost-written by a Crum, in the third person). Hold on to your assumptions... because here come the Crums

Please Note: I am not responsible for leaving anyone out of the preceding post... I think I got everyone though.