End of Year Video

This really has nothing to do with the end of 2006 except that I made this with my new video camera and will be doing more of this in the year to come. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!



More of my videos appear on Google Video

Colorado

This might be another good time to discuss my theory on how snow is a direct result of Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit, but rather I thought I would talk about the benefits of snow:

Snow in Colorado is almost always powdery. This is not good for snowballs or for snowmen, but it is great for shoveling. It's almost like no work at all. The last two winters I didn't even have a shovel, I merely swept our porch, sidewalk and driveway. This year I carry a shovel in my Pathfinder for work, so I've been breaking it out to shovel the above mentioned surfaces. I'm not going to go so far as to say I enjoy the act of snow removal, but there's worse things one could be doing. I guess it's just nice for a break from sitting around inside all day, to actually get outside and do some physical labor.

I really didn't list a benefit of snow, perhaps looking at snow is it's only benefit. How can a result of an act of disobedience be so beautiful. Maybe it's like a painting by a convict, or a quilt by a lawyer. We should just appreciate it for what it is, and not ask too many questions.

Jon's Blog Must Die

Hello Everyone,
Just getting back from Africa the last thing I want is to start a fight... wait, check that. Just getting back from Africa the thing that I want to do more than anything else is start a fight. So here goes: As I was catching up on the goings-on in the Crum family I did what any good brother and son would do, I looked at your blogs. I found out that Matt has a cool Christmas sweater that plays music by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and that Mom now realizes that no matter how bad of students we were as kids, at least she could spank us. This brings me to my point, Jon needs some serious discipline. I mean, how am I supposed to know what is going on in your life if I can't read it in a public forum?

I think that explains it. As we all know Jon has been uttering thoughts non-stop for the past four or five years. I knew that eventually he would run out of thoughts and I guess that day has come. Here's a tip Jon, blogs are not actually intended to be "thought depositories" (not to be confused with "thought suppo..." never mind). Just recycle things that other people say, neglect to site your source, and claim it as a new "idea" or thought and bingo, you have a blog. case in point.

Merry Christmas

Wow, 11 o'clock and I'm the first one to post a "Merry Christmas". Either you all are sleeping in or I am a loser who is posting on Christmas. Anyway, I hope you all (Crums, not other people reading this blog) have a great Christmas and I'll see some of you soon.



PS: click here to see one of Michal's presents.

OHIO STATE IS GATOR BAIT

Midwest Farmer's Daughters

Hello, All!

I do believe (I may be wrong) that this is the first post I have ever contributed to the Crum Family Blog. I got online yesterday and caught up on the last four months of posts (which wasn't much). Well, here we are. Back in the USA after four months in South Africa. We are happy to be home, eating normal foods, enjoying good cold weather, and surfing the web. Ben and I were singing the Beach Boys a few weeks ago, pining the good ol' U.S. of A. and I had to complain about the line about the "midwest farmer's daughters really make me feel alright..." I'd much rather be a northern or a southern girl. Anyway, I think this blog rivals Nates' in random rambling. I love you all.

Movies (without Popcorn)

Just a quick note: If you want to watch a lot of movies in one sitting, fly over the Atlantic in an Airbus A330. On Michal and my flight to South Africa we were booked on two 747s, the first from Chicago to Amsterdam and the next from Amsterdam to Johannesburg. On the way home, though, we were put on an Airbus, a much newer plane with video screens built in to the back of the headrests. We had remote controls built in to our arm rest with which we could select movies, music and games to entertain ourselves. I must admit, I watched four movies on that flight. Granted, it was a 10+ hour flight, but still, that's a lot of movies. The Illusionist was good (actually, I really enjoyed it), Invincible was fun, Little Miss Sunshine was funny in that sick kind of timid "ha, ha" way, and Wicker Man was stupid with good acting. Anyway, I'm home now and unlike Peter and Nate, I think I have met my movie quota for a while.

It's In The Mail

It's been six months in the making, and the wait is almost over. Of course your last name has to be Crum in order to recieve a first-run copy, so if you're not a Crum, seek one out and slip him/her a fiver, because this one's a keeper.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Multimedia Dad

Here are some cool pictures I found (and created) that include someone you should recognize. Of course it's Pop!! When he came to visit a few months ago, Jon showed us a book he had with Pop's picture on the cover. Pop told me about a Big & Rich video "8th of November" that had his picture in it and also said that there was a video series on the Vietnam War that had his picture on the cover. I did some research and found the VHS cover and also downloaded the B&R video and made a screen shot of the scene with Pop's picture. Enjoy.

Thanksgiving

We were glad to have Nate home for a week at Thanksgiving. We had not seen him since last Christmas, so this was his first visit to Maryland. Matt arrived at dinner time on Tuesday, so we had three full days with both of them together. Aunt Sandi, Uncle Bob, Lauren and Katelynn came for dinner on Thursday which was great fun. And, we spoke with all the brothers who weren't home by phone--even Ben who had gotten a sunburn on Thanksgiving Day in summery South Africa. So much to be thankful for!

On Friday we went to Washington, D.C. so that Nate "Boticelli" Crum could see "his painting" in the National Gallery--remember that fine Adoration of the Magi he did for Renaissance Art History class? We didn't see any of Thomas "Giotto" Crum's sheep in the museum, however, for some reason. Those who didn't tour the museum walked the Mall looking at all the monuments from Lincoln to Washington. Then the whole gang went to the Air and Space Museum.

Matt drove back to Indiana on Saturday, and Nate flew to Texas where some friends met him. Nate is now back in Louisiana, recovering from oral surgery today; he had all four wisdom teeth extracted this morning. He has three days off to recover.

Lost

Deep in the dark jungles of...

I lost my cell phone and all of the phone numbers I had in it. I'm in the process of getting a new phone, but in the meantime, if anyone who knows me would send me an email with his cell phone number, I could call all of you just as soon as I get a new phone.

You can also leave me a message on my voicemail and I'll get it eventually.

... The end.

Number 100

Numbers are great, what's your favorite number? I would feel selfish if I were to take the 100th blog spot here on the family blog, so I'm just writing over this one. Personally I like the numbers 17, 77 and 521. Perhaps you can guess the reasons for these being my favorite numbers. The first person to guess all three correctly will have a dollar bill sent to them via United States Postal Service. You will get a bonus drawing of Syke Cow included if you can also explain why I used the picture I did in this posting... I also like the song "1979", everytime I hear it I think of my brother Matt.

Happy Birthday, Peter!

I know it's not for two more days, but I wanted to be the first to say Happy Birthday to Peter! (Also to let him know that there's no gift in the mail yet, but I really haven't forgotten!)
I wish I could be there to enjoy a huge juicy hamburger with you in celebration--and to hug Jess and the grandkids, too.
We love you all.

Proud Dad

A couple of weeks ago Jude started making these 3-D pictures. Personally I think that they are awesome, and I thought some of you might enjoy seeing one.

New Video

This is a collection of videos I have taken with a regular camera, thus the poor quality. I was focusing more on the video as a whole rather than the quality of the footage.

I Can't Think Of A Good Title

So, I'm just sitting here in my midget of a room listening to the greatest song ever (Africa) by the greatest band ever (Toto), and I see that I am like the only Crum that's hasn't bloged in a good minute. It's been so long that I think William has posted more recently.

Oh...just a second...the song has changed, and I'm now listening to Hips Don't Lie by Shakira. (If this is too scary you should stop reading now, 'cause I don't forsee it getting any better any time soon)

From what I've been hearing the summer is over, and everybody's back in school. Well, my summer lasted about a week and I spent it in the beautiful state of Colorado, with all the beautiful family members. I also think that Peter, Matt, Ben, Jon, and Thomas were able to show up. Since then it's been back to work and the non-beautiful state of Louisiana. Over the past months I've worked on some planes, washed some planes, and saw Snakes On A Plane, so I'm kinda burnt out on planes. I joined my church about a month or two ago, and two weeks ago I went to see 311 in concert. Church has been good, and my Thursday night men's group is a highlight of every week. O yea, 311 was mad stupid. It was as good as the Coldplay, Dave Matthews, and Tom Petty concerts.

Tomorrow I am off. My job is now 12 hour shifts 3 days on and than one day off. We still get the weekends, so in any given week I will work 3-4 days. This means that I get 3 day weekends every now and than, and it also gives me a break from the stress of work.

I bought a harmonica and can kinda play When The Saints. Soon I'll be playing Tom Petty and Blues Travlers.

I guess that's kindof it. It's 1:27 and I can't think any more so I'm going to bed.

WWYD?

Alright, it's been quite some time, but my computer is alive again. I had to replace my motherboard, and get rid of a defective RAM card, but hopefully I'll be good for a little bit longer. I got sick from eating some Japanese spring rolls the other night (they were very good, and probably worth getting sick over). Anyways, at about 2:30 this morning I decided that I should blog about everything that was running through my fever-induced mind, so here goes...

The family is doing well, everyone's into the school year schedule, Jude and Ashley are in school, Ashley has Jude's teacher from last year and Jude's in first grade, spelling everything. "Dad, how do you spell fink?... f - i - n - k ?" "Yes Jude, that's how you spell fink." Jess and Aravis get to spend each day together, which is good for both of them. Jack is getting less wild, which isn't really saying much, but at least it's a start.

One of my friends has one of those "What Would Yoda Do?" t-shirts, which always brings a smile to my face, that's my kind of humor. Also, I like that bumper sticker that has a gold ring in one corner and says the following; "Frodo Failed, Bush Has The Ring Of Power". What a great way to piss off so many people at with one statement. By the way, if you haven't talked to Jon recently, ask him about the Brazillian soldiers over in Iraq.

That reminds me, it's been a year now that the defaced, subverted, ravaged and illegitimate Star Wars "original" trilogy DVD set became avaliable for purchase. Needless to say I would not stoop to the level of purchasing this offensive product, rather I joined a petition, and asked others to join me in boycotting this product and asking Lucas to please release his original, unblemished masterpiece. Lucas made statements to the affect that this release was the only one he would ever allow and that his "Special" Edition version was the only trilogy he recognized. Days ago, Lucas released the unadulterated, original Star Wars trilogy on DVD. How do I feel? I think I would like to get a copy, and Star Wars obviously has had a mojor impact on my youth, but like the whole Michael Jackson thing, the Pee Wee Herman scandal, Ben Affleck in a Tom Clancy movie, and Rush Limbaugh, the innocence of childhood sometimes is tainted by things you learn as an grown-up.

I don't remember if I wrote about the film "Inside Man" when I saw it a few months back, but now that it's rentable, I am reminded of my impressions of the movie. Overall I was entertained, and I like how a director like Spike Lee can lead us to assume things about his film, based on his previous work, then throw us a curve ball like "Inside Man". I'm liking Clive Owen in everything I've seen of his (Closer and Sin City mostly) and Denzel Washington is just plain awesome. Anyways, although I liked the movie, the Chistopher Plummer character detracted from my enjoyement. He plays a Nazi sympathizer/war profiteer, who indirectly is the villian of the film. Now I undertstand that actors want to play a wide range of roles, and the greatest actors can convincingly play heros and villians (sometimes in the same film), but for someone who's greatest roll was Captain Vonn Trapp, doesn't it just seem wrong that he would play the exact oppisite character in a Spike Lee heist pic? If you can think of a more dramatic difference in one actor playing two roles, I'd like to hear what it was.

Alright, my rambling is winding down, my next blog will be more normal. So what should I do, stop buying DVDs? With this new Blu-ray out now, and HD televisions everywhere, why would anyone buy low picture resoulition standard DVDs anymore? Shouldn't there be like a program where you send in your Lord of the Rings trilogy DVD and they send you the Blu-ray copy for just shipping and handling? You mean, maybe, just maybe, this has all been planned for like the last ten or fifteen years, and they want us to buy all those movies that we use to have on VHS, now we have on DVD and Blu-ray is finally the answer. Personally, I just want the original prints, and when I finally get that projector, I'll watch them on my "big screen"...

News from South Africa

Ben called from South Africa this afternoon. They are six hours ahead of us there. Even though separated by great distance our phone connection was clear, and not hampered by the long delays often associated with such long-distance calls.

Of course, we wanted to hear about the work he and Michal are doing. They are living and working at an orphanage--the Village. There are 28 children in The Village. Three or four are pre-school age while the rest range from 1st grade through high school. The Village is situated among many acacia trees with a snow-capped mountain peak in the distance. The sunsets are awesome.

While many things are new and different, three things remind Ben of home.
First, he and Michal are starting an after school tutoring program beginning tomorrow afternoon. The first thing the children do when returning home from school is wash their uniforms. Then they play. At 4:30 they will congregate in one large room to do their homework and get tutoring help. The younger ones will have English classes for learning their shapes, counting, colors, etc. Ben said it will be like a giant homeschool co-op--a reminder of Mom.

Ben and Michal will also plant a garden. This will actually be an agricultural teaching tool involving the children, as well as a way to grow some fresh vegetables. They don't know yet what they'll grow--probably peppers and beans, among other things. Cultivating the soil, preparing it for planting, will be a great accomplishment in itself. Gardening reminds Ben of some of the great gardens David planted while our children were growing up. Those gardens were not only great physical therapy for Pop, but also put food on our table--for which we were extremely thankful.

The third homely comfort is the weekly menu. I cooked according to a three-week rotating menu while the older boys were growing up. (It's recently been revised to a four-week rotation.) While you could always count on spaghetti on Monday night, the other days varied depending on the week. The Village has a one-week menu. Ben says he looks forward to Tuesdays in particular--fried chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans. Rice appears on the menu frequently and so do beans--a taste of home!

It's a blessing for Ben and Michal to worship at a church just down the road--with the children and other Agathos staff. Pastor Welcome is their pastor. He preaches in English with a Zulu translator (to encourage his congregation in learning English), and spends lots of time with the children during the week.

We said "good-bye" early in our conversation, realizing that when the time expired on the calling card our conversation would be cut off. It was a blessing to hear of the work they are doing--and to hear the joy in Ben's voice as he described it to me. We're looking forward to pictures from Africa sometime (soon?) in the future.

Slide Show

The Last Kiss

Zach Braff, the actor, director, and writer of 2004's Garden State is back in a new film called the Last Kiss. I am telling you this because of the soundtrack that you need to buy. It is just as good as the Garden State soundtrack, it starts with "Chocolate" by Snow Patrol, and than goes on and soars with some brand new artists (Ray LaMontagne, Athlete, Amos Lee) and some weatherd ones (Coldplay, Rufus wainwright) .
I don't think that the soundtrack comes out untill mid-way through Aug. but it is somthing that everyone should mark on their calanders. (I also think that the film looks good, but that's a different subject)

Going to the Movies

Does anyone else get a headache from going to the movies? It happens to me now almost all the time. I don't know if it's the noise (which comes from every direction) or the lights (the flicker of the light from the film, not the overhead theater lights--although those are annoying, too) or both. Since I go to the movies so rarely I haven't really tested either theory, although I think a nice quiet movie--not Cars--might help me in determining sound or light. It doesn't happen at home, so I'll just need to make a list of the movies I think I might like to see in the theater and wait for them to come out on DVD.

We did go to see Cars while on vacation. I liked it a lot (notice the correct spelling of these two words)! I especially liked the Italian fork lift in Radiator Springs, and Doc Hudson. But, it did give me a headache.

Road Trips & Mix Tapes

A favorite pastime of many folks is creating what use to be called "mix tapes". Mix tapes are all but dead, having been replaced by "mix CDs" and more recently iPod "playlists". Regardless of medium the concept is the same; take music from multiple sources (albums) and "mix" them together in a new list, a new album. Many people take for granted the ease of this, using today's technology, and haphazardly make new "mixes" that don't mix and result in a mismatched hodge-podge of sound. Mixing is an art.

Papa, many will remember, introduced this idea to us as he put together tapes for us to listen to while he was over seas. Still, every time I listen to Africa by Toto I think of that mix tape. Pop took mix tapes to a whole new level using them as a way to speak to us. Not just by recording his voice, his prayers, his thoughts between the tracks, but in the very lyrics of the songs; "It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you. There's nothing that a hundred men on mark could ever do..." I don't think Papa purposefully picked songs that would sing of how much he missed us, but he picked songs that would tell us how much. That's what most people miss with their mixes. Mixes should say something, they should make a statement.

There's a film I really like about a man who understands the world through his analogy of a "mix tape" (I won't tell you the name of the film because of the premises surrounding this analogy). He knows that a good mix tapes takes work, takes heart, takes passion. Mix tapes are art. So be creative, make a mix (and if you're going to Colorado with me, make it a good one).

Vacations

We're getting ready to leave for vacation tomorrow. One last trip to Wal-Mart before we go; a double-check of the younger ones' back packs; putting the cold food in the ice chest and we'll be ready.

A couple from church who own a house on Deep Creek Lake in western Maryland have kindly offered us the use of their place. It comes with a canoe and a rowboat and is right on the water. There's a sandy swimming beach at one of the several local state parks we plan to check out, although I imagine the children will jump in anywhere, muddy bottom or not. We're prepared with extra shoes.

I've got several books for myself (Agatha Christie and Tedd Tripp--how's that for a spectrum) and books on tape for the children. I'm still deciding on one read-aloud for the week. It won't be
The Lord of the Rings since we just finished that in May.

We leave tomorrow afternoon and return next Saturday. I'm looking forward to a change of scenery and a change of pace--Pop says he'll do half the cooking!

I'm also looking forward to many posts about the Colorado odyssey. Matt, Ben and Michal, Jon, Nate and Thomas are all heading for Peter and Jess's at the end of the month. What a great reunion and, for some, first time meeting. Don't overwhelm Aravis or Michal! (or Jess! Where are you going to put everybody?)

66... 2006

Alright everyone, I know that this is a day late, but it's so good it was worth waiting for. Actually I have been having computer problems and this isn't really my fault that my timely posting is now going to have lost its punch, but here it goes anyways. Most of you probably have seen the trailer for "The Omen" or at least know that this remake came out yesterday, on what the movie advertisers were claiming to be 6, 6, 6. Now here's where my thought process comes into play. If yesterday really was 6, 6, 6, then why in the world was there only one creepy, scary, demonic movie released? Seriously! This was one of the biggest missed oppurtunities in the history of the world. There will never again, ever, be another day that could be claimed as 666, never ever. Well maybe in the year 2066 we'll have a whole month of 666, and then in 2666 we'll have a really bad year, but not until 3006 will there be another day of 666. Well, back to my point, where were the good old fashioned Hollywood horror movies to celebrate this wicked day? Too late now, somehow on the next Friday 13th or on Holloween, it will seem anticlimactic.
The reason I wanted to post yesterday is so that I could get my concept for a great 666 movie in on time. Although I failed to meet the deadline, here's my idea anyways.

It is a warm day in the glamorous Hollywood hills. People are sunbathing on the beach, Porches are cruising up and down Rodeo Drive, and poodles are being trimmed and styled in plush salons... Then suddenly, nothing happens. Everyone continues as if everything is normal. Movie stars party and mingle, marketing executives lounge while drinking cocktails and tele-evangalists tape next Sundays program... But where's the housekeeper? The vacuum is still on, but she's nowhere to be found, maybe she took the afternoon off. THE END

Happy Birthday Crum Boys

We are in the middle of one hot season. No, I didn't watch Al Gore's new propaganda reel, I'm referring to the hot-season for Crum birthdays. When people find out how many siblings I have one of their first questions is often "so, do you know all their birthdays?" They're usually surprised when I can rattle off most of your birthdays just from the top of my mind (I won't do it here because you would either think I was looking on a cheat-sheet or be offended that I don't remember yours!). I think the official hot-season starts with William's birthday in mid-may (though traditionally it started with Matt's at the end of May). I don't know when you would say the season ends. Stephen ends the hot streak, but then you have Jesse and Mom close on his heals. Anyhow, I just wanted to take a moment to say happy hot-season, one and all. Oh, and save some fettuccini and strawberry shortcake for me.

The Red Hot Chili Perppers Kick It Still!

Dave Matthews' hasn't had a cd for a long time that compared to his first three, Under The Table and Dreaming, Crash, and Before These Crowded Streets. U2's newer albums have got nothing on War, The Joshua Tree, and Auctung Baby. I can't think of any new Tom Petty songs I like, and the new Pearl Jam album isn't any Yield.

So how is it that the Chili Peppers, who have been around for 23 years, came out with such an awesome record? And when I say awesome, I'm saying that this could be their best, and that is awesome. It's a combo of everything that is great about the Peppers. It's got the funk of their early years, combined with the more mellow sounds that we loved from Californication. John is back this time and his guitar skills are better than ever. He and Anthony sound awesome together, and with the best bassist in the world (flea) and Chad on the very distinct Chili Peppers drums, there is no room for error. There are 28 tracks on this double disk. The only question I can think of, is which disk will I listen to more?

Who's got The Edge?

So, for as long as I can remember, the Edge has been some dude who wore a beanie? on his head, had a sweet mustache, and played a sick guitar for the band U2. But, on the 29th of April he wasn't playing with U2, insted he was playing with an even sweeter band (My opinion), the Dave Matthews Band. Yeah, that's right... he was their special guest for a song, and it was awesome. I couldn't believe that I was seeing the two of them together.

These are just a bunch of other pics that I took at the Jazz Fest.

Deja Vu

Have you ever done somthing for the first time, but felt like you'd done it a million times before?

Yesterday I went to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. I went for one reason and one reason alone. To see my favorite band. I waited in the same cramped spot for 5 hours, and than it happened, Boyd, Carter, Leroi, Stefan, and Dave walked on stage to the loudest roar of cheering that I have ever heard. This was the first time that I was ever seeing the Dave Matthews Band live in concert. It was an awesome show, they are trully amazing. You will never hear someone live who sings better.

But, the concert was a little bitter-sweet. This was my first time seeing them live, but I have every live cd that they have, with the exception of their latest live cd, and I have listened to these cds for the last, I don't know, 10 years of so. It was as if I was just one of the bands old friends, that I had sat in on countless concerts and jam sessions. He sounded the same as ever, Carter played the drums as good as he always does, Stefan kicked it on the bass, Boyd played his heart out on all the violin solos, and Leroi was as layed back on the sax as he always is. I could predict every move, every dance move from Dave, and all his little weird voices in between songs. I'd seen this a million times.

So, it was a mix of emotions, but I wouldn't trade those moments or emotions for anything. (There will be another post on the jazz fest when I get the pic's and video that I put on my friends camera)

He Stole Me Painting!

You all might remember this amzing work of art by the not-so-famous "artist" Nathaniel P. Crum. But, I'll bet you didn't know that a certain person, named Sandro Botticelli, reproduced this exact image and now has his "original" piece hanging in The National Gallery of Art in our nation's capitol. This fact was first discovered by Mom and Pop when they visited D.C..

(And, the answer to your question is yes... I will be suing!)

Tsotsi (sôt'sê)

I haven't been out to see a new movie (in the theater) since Michal, Jim, Annie and I went to see Firewall a couple of months ago. There are a couple out right now that I was hoping to see, Lucky Number Slevin, Thank You for Smoking, Inside Man etc... but instead Michal and I went to see Tsotsi (which is supposedly pronounced sôt'sê, but I can't figure out what that means, so I just say sot-see). The film did hold some interest for me, I had heard an interview with the director about his decision to use "Tsotsitaal", a ghetto language of Gauteng province, South Africa, as the main language of the film, but it wasn't one of those films that I was saying, "man, I've got to see this!" about. I should have been.

The film was amazing. The visual style was perfectly suited for the subject. It was raw, but not intrusive. The soundtrack fit perfectly, and the acting was superb. The most astonishing aspect of the film, though, was the story and they way you could see the change in David (Tsotsi) over the course of the 6 day period in which the film takes place.

There have been many debates about the content of films (especially films, like Tsotsi, that get an 'R' rating). This movie does have a lot of swearing (even though it is subtitled you can actually very distinctly tell what they are saying) and has some pretty violent parts too. But there is no way that you would get a feel for who Tsotsi and his gang are without this raw realism. They can't speak like Dick and Jane while simultaneously convincing you that they are ruthless gangsters.

I'm still planning on seeing MI III and will watch #Slevin when it hits video stores, but Tsotsi is a film that I will remember long after others fade from memory.

My Rating: 9/10 - Great film! Good soundtrack (I bought it right after we left the theater). Amazing story.

This review was written by Benjamin Crum

Praising God Through Pure Talent

Jon for starters this is kind of for you. Mr. Estrada, a huge role model and influence to me over the past few years has taught me many good lessons through trial and error, and just through good Christian teaching. Being a very athletic man and a major leauge scout, and the father of a very beautiful athletic girl, who i know pretty well I guess, Kalie May Estrada, it could often seem hard to people how he could praise God with all his heart, when he has so many things going his way. He knows and teaches his children, and myself, that no talent is attained without it being God's awesome will. Kalie plays for Covenant soccer, and in this her first year broke the school goal record, but who gets all the praise for that? Should it be Kalie? I would have to say God deserves the praise, and although He may not get 100% of it He does deserve all of it and more. "Use the gifts God has given and blessed you with" are words that Mr. Estrada often reminds us of. Kalie is an awesome young women, a very athletic and strong Christian, she praises God. At such a common age for people to turn from what they have been previously taught we stand firm. No matter what the subject, you will almost always find someone who gives God the deserved glory. I trust in and have Jesus as my Lord and Savior, but their is always one more step you can take in your Christian walk. I love my family, my friends, the Estadas, my church, but atop all of that is the Lord Jesus Christ, and I hope all of you can say the same. Sometimes may seem harder to trust in Him, but those are the times that if you can push through, will mean so much to your walk down the road of life. Praise the Lord for what He has done.

Anyone for a Little Taboo? (Please Read This)

Am I allowed to say, "Did you read your Bible today?"

John Frattiani asks me the same question every week when I see him at church. That and, "You want to go to Jimmy John's?"

But it shows me that John's focus on Sunday mornings is in God's Word. But while I'm talking to him, any number of Junior High/High School boys will come up to me and ask, "Did you see the game last night?"

- - - - -

I love this blog because I love my family and this is pretty much the only chance I have to communicate with my brothers who are living spread across the country: Peter, Nate, Thomas. I don't really even take the opportunity to spend time with Matt like I should and rely on this blog to hear from him.

So what do we talk about? Movies? Music? Sports?

There's nothing wrong with that. There's nothing wrong with talking about what we love. And it's the undeniable truth that we Crums love movies and music and (some of us) sports.

Do we love God?

The Bible says that from the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. That we are to declare to the nations the good things that God has done for us.

God gave me a mother and father who love me and love Him, brothers who forgive me when I give them black eyes, brothers with the self-control to stop themselves from giving ME black eyes. He's given me life and breath and health and everything that I have.

When I post about music and movies and sports and NOT God, I am worshipping the creature and not the Creator.

Maybe this isn't the place for this kind of a post, maybe I should have put it on my blog where you wouldn't have to read it. Maybe you aren't reading it. But it needs to be said, and it's not just a topic for intellectual discussion. We should not be able to keep silent from praising God for the good things He has done. If we do, the rocks will cry out.

This, as I said earlier, is pretty much the only communication I have with my brothers. And I really don't care about your opinion on sports and movies and music COMPARED to your testimony of God's work in your life.

There's something worth talking about.

Walnut Avenue

Well, I know that I've already gotten people to guess the location from satalite images, but I was just looking at Microsoft's new Google Map clone and found this. To the average observer it would mean nothing, but to those who know this mark on the ground was once the base of a top-secret club (the name of which I will not mention online without Snake's permission).

I was just talking to another man the other day who grew up on military bases and we were reminiscing the great times we had. I love Mare Island. I would love to live there or at least go back and visit someday, preferably before they tear our house down.

And here's one that I just thought was awesome, recognize the building on the right? That's right, the Mental/Dental Clinic.

Best Ten Minutes and Fifty-One Seconds of Your Life...

Ronaldinho is sick!

The title to this entry is the link. I don't know if you guys and gals have ever seen this guy play, but he is sooooo sick. I think he might even blow Jon's moves in Ben's video out of the water, maybe. Anyway I love watching his stuff, so enjoy.

Dream Dog

A Film by Benjamin W Crum




Cast: Jon Crum, Ben Crum, Congo (The Dog).
Music by: The Lovin' Spoonful

Ch. 6 The Last

"This is by far the weirdest thing that has ever happened to me," said Scott to Angelina, "I sure hope that no one ever hears or reads about this story" (wink*).

As Scott and Angelina were conversing he happened upon somthing cool in his pocket. He drew his hand out to reveal the most beautiful copper coin that his eyes had ever seen. This wasn't saying much becasue copper as a metal is pretty ugly and the only copper coins he'd ever seen were pennies, and Honest Abe doesn't have the "most beautiful" mug in the world or anything! Scott noticed that there was some script on the coins surface. As he gazed closer he saw the inscription "make a wish and see what happens".

"Hey, look at this," he said to Angelina. As she came closer to look he told her of how he had found it earlier, and completly forgotten about it. "I could have just used this when I first found it, and it would have saved me all this trouble." He was being sarcastic. "But," came his sarcastic jabbering, "if I had used it when I first found it than you'd still be lost out here!"

"I think it's a real magic coin," came Angelina's brightening voice. "You need to make a wish."

"What... real... are you insane? How could this posibly be a REAL magic coin? That wouldn't make any sense. You must be insane!"

At that very second they walked out of the wood.

"O, look, there's a road sign. It says Arizona St. I live just two blocks over from Arizona St. I can get home before dark. We'll, I'm glad that I met you, but, I wish that none of this had ever happened..."

Just like that he was back in his two story pent house, at the begining of the story, thinking...

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

Do You "Walk The Line"?

What does it really mean to "walk the line"? To walk the line means to keep a straight focus to what is important in your life. Here are a few ideas of what it means that I came up with: It can refer to staying on the right track religiously, by maintaining a good relationship with Jesus; finding the personal relationships throughout life that are best for you, finding the soul mate God has planned for you, or just in everyday interaction with people you meet. Through personal, recent, experiences with Kalie Estrada I have realized that you can't take things for granted, because taking things for granted means you have strayed from that line that you should be walking on; as in the greatsest movie ever made, John, played by Joaquin Phoenix, makes mistakes that stray him far from the path he should be walking. Drugs, sex, and other temptations can lead you astray so quickly you don't even realize you have sinned. I think although it is definitely a secular movie it has a lot of good qualities to it, by showing what types of things are right and wrong, and how the wrong things can keep you from "walking the line". Although I think the movie was done to the highest possible standards, the more I hear the music the more I fall in love with the movie, and John ny Cash. My favorite is "Wildwood Flower" sung by Reese Witherspoon, acting as June Carter. The movie is awesome, and i thank Matt for showing it to us. I now own the movie, and the soundtrack, and love to watch and listen to them both. I think the movie can teach you good things, and i hope that when I die I can meet Johnny Cash, if he is in heaven. I really recommend to all those who haven't seen the movie to go rent or buy it, and watch it as many times as you want. It's worth it!!

How LOTR Should Of Ended

Please, no one kill me for thinking this is funny.

WARNING: Contains animated mooning

My New Favorit Peice Of Art

That's Picasso's signature. I wish I could make somthing like that. (The author smirks at his ingenious sarcastic coment!)

Ch. 5 Girlish Emotions

"I don't understand... I could have sworn it was just around here!"

Scott and Angelina had been searching for the path for over two hours, but they just seemed to be as lost as when they had started. Scott was becoming agitated for he had always dreamed of saving a damsel in distress, but this rescue was turning out to be more like his worst nightmare insted of that dream, and the bad thing is that his worst nightmare was of him getting lost and than ending up in a cheesy blog reading this weird story over and over again while listening to the Yental soundtrack and Ice Ice Baby.

"Hey, you look kindof agitated," came Angelina's soothing voice, "I know we'll find the path. It can't be far."

"I'm a failure! I can't even find the stupid path!" Scott's yelling startled Angelina. "This is it for us... I wish I was stronger, but..." he couldn't even finish the sentance. At the speed of lightning and with the intent to shut up his pathetic mouth came Angelina's hand, as she backhanded his dome. "O, shut up. Stop acting like this is your fault... We wouldn't be in this situation if it weren't meant to be! Grow up, stop acting like such a sissy, and be a man!"

Scott was stunned. He was also in pain from getting man handled by a girl. And I don't mean just physical pain. As they say, he was demoralized. This hadn't happened to him since 3rd grade when his younger brother Zach "pantsed" him in front of a Kroger super market.

"Sorry... I needed that. I've got it together... now lets jut find this path and get home."

"O, I'm not going home when we find this path. I'm on a mission," came Angelina's now stern voice. (Her stern voice had back handed her soothing voice) "Those darn cows best hope I don't ever find them... 'cause there will be hell to pay!"

Noah

He built an ark, now
can he win a national
championship?
The Florida Gators are
one of the Final Four
teams headed to
Indianapolis.
All the number 1 seeds
have been knocked off
and Florida is the only
remaning team that
I go for.
To bad Duke and Gonzaga
couldn't be there, that
would have been the chance
for J.J. Redick to take on
Adam Morrison. I guess
they'll have to wait for the
NBA

Some Fresh Tunes

A while back Matt had me listen to The Postal Service and I was like "dude, I'm all about this fresh remix of Nintendo sound". Ever since then I have been on the lookout for more of this sound. I checked out the band Death Cab (for Cutie), whose lead singer is one of the members of The Postal Service and I love the new Beck album and it's subsiquent remix releases (Ghettochip Malfunction rocks man!). But it wasn't until I stumbled upon the band Ace Bad that I realized the full potential of Nintendo Rock. You have to check this out baby! I repeat, it is imparitive that you listen to Ace Bad ( <--- this is a link)

There's only one good kind of snow...

As Winter winds down to make way for Spring I thought it would be interesting to debunk all these people who love snow and think it is beautiful... "Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves." Adam and Eve were naked. Before they sinned they were completely and even totally naked. Therefore the temperature must have been between 67 and 78 degrees (Fahrenheit) at all times. The Garden of Eden never could have seen snow prior to the eating of the Forbidden Fruit. Therefore snow, at least man's experience of it is a product of sin. I'm not saying there wasn't snow, somewhere, very far away from Adam and Eve, but not until sin entered the picture would they have known about it.

I see that some of you out in the mountains and perhaps in the midwest are experiencing a little bit of late snow here in the past few days. What a great reminder that we live in a fallen world and one day when all this suffering and anguish is over it'll be nice and toasty again.

Not Dead Yet

Some of our faithful readers may be wondering, "where have all the Crum's gone (long time passing)?" I just wanted to assure you all, we are not gone for good. There have been a few developments in the Crum Clan that have made posting on a regular basis a lower priority than it has been in the past. Here are the three primary reasons for "lack of posting":

First: A large scale Crum Conference has been in the works and is now underway in the Baltimore area (the exact location of which is classified information). Of course this makes posting blog updates not only more difficult in terms of free-time but also carries certain security issues that must be dealt with in a sensitive manner.

Second: The NSA has recently revoked the right of the Crum Clan to access high bandwidth internet. This ruling is currently being appealed by the Crums, but a source in Washington says hearings may take months if not years. "The Families recent relocation to the Baltimore/Washington area has raised concerns that a national takeover may be in the works" states the Washington source, "currently all options are on the table for dealing with this severe issue."

Third: There haven't been any good movies to write about in the past 3 weeks.


"We were first alerted to the threat of the Crums when they made an offer to buy the White House and then claimed that it wasn't big enough" - Chief of Staff, Andrew H. Card, Jr.

TWISTED LOGIC

I have only three things to say about the super sweet band Coldplay.

1) If you haven't heard of them than you need to go back to whatever stupid country you came from.

2) If you don't own all of their albums than you need to go buy them.

3) And...If you haven't gotten out to see the Twisted Logic Tour than you, and I stress, NEED to get up, stop what you're doing, and go see it.

Happy 21st. Birthday Nate!!

This Bud's for You!!!

A Poetic Poem by a Poetic Poet

Here's a little piece of work I put together over the past few weeks. Haven't quite finished all the editing on it, but I hope you can all enjoy the poetic words flowing from these four lines that lie below...



Roses are red,
Violets are dumb
Don't matter who I am,
I wish I was a Crum!

Ch 4. How Scott met Angelina

"Do you believe in love at first sight?" -some cheesy chick flick-

"I could have sworn that the noise came from this direction!", thought Scott as he preesed on through the brush. He'd been tracking the sound he'd heard for a good half-an-hour, but his progress had been put on hold a few times. The first time he was put on hold by a Verizon Wireless representative, and the second time it was a group of traveling mormans, and he had to hide in a tree.

He was now walking along side a huge cliff, and he alowed himself a quiet chuckle as he thought about a line from his favorite Beatles flick, "white cliffs of Dover?"
As these memories passed through his nogin, he triped over what he thought was a branch. Looking back he saw that it was in fact not a branch, but a Remington Sawed-off-Shotgun. This seemed odd, he was quite sure that when Bruce was sucked into the portal, that he took the gun with him!

As he stooped to pick it up he received a quick shot to the ribs.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing? That's mine"

Scott, looking up saw the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. She was like an angel... an angel with a powerful kick who carried a Remington.

"I'm sorry", his words came with pain, "I didn't know it was anyone's!"

"Yea...I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have kicked you...but, I just...well I'm lost and..", her words became tears.

"That's ok, I'm lost as well, but now I think that I can get us out of here, I saw a path back a ways. Oh, and by the way, my name is Scott, what's your's"

"Angelina."

"Your...", wonder filled his eyes, " ...your not Angelina... Jolie?"

"No, my last name's Crum!"

"Oh,...", Scott breathed a sigh of relief, "...I am so relieved, that's why I breathed a sigh of relief. If you were Jolie... well than my sister-in-law whold have to stop reading my posts." (not you Jess, the other sister-in-law)

chucknorrisfacts.com

These are just a few to get you interested. (This web page is not intended for younger viewers, so either ask your parents or Chuck Norris will give you a roundhouse kick to the face!)

"Chuck Norris can divide by zero"

"Chuck Norris doesn't actually write books, the words assemble themselves out of fear."

"Newton's Third Law is wrong: Although it states that for each action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, there is no force equal in reaction to a Chuck Norris roundhouse kick."

"Chuck Norris always knows the EXACT location of Carmen SanDiego."

"Chuck Norris ordered a Big Mac at Burger King, and got one."

"MacGyver can build an airplane out of gum and paper clips, but Chuck Norris can roundhouse-kick his head through a wall and take it."

"Chuck Norris doesn't read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants."

Happy Birthday Pop

Many happy returns of the day are in order, it being Pop's birthday. There are some of you out there who don't know much about our family and even some who have never heard of David Alan Crum. Well here's a list that should put our father into context for you:

Papa is older than:

Barbie (1959)
Nintendo - NES (1983)
Personal Computers
Pocket Calculators (1967)
The Internet
Credit Cards (1950)
Lasers (1960)
Seat Belts? (1949)
& Barcodes (1952)

Well, I'm sure my kids won't be able to comprehend a world without Cell Phones, DVDs (or whatever they will watch movies on), and goGurt.

Have a great day Pop.

Life for T.C.

So I thought it was about time that I should finally post something real on here. After getting this computer from Ben i decided that I should finally start posting things, because now that I have the means, why shouldn't I? So here I am in Florida, at the Patton's house, in my room, listening to Daniel Bedingfield, and just chiilin' like a villain. In about 24 minutes I will turn the tv to fox, and enjoy a good episode of the O.C. A show that I had always thought was nothing but a teenage soap has turned out to be my favorite show, and it has confirmed my thoughts as being correct. The whole show is about 4 kids, some adults, and other people just combining all their emotions together and creating one giant drama. I still can't believe I am alover of the O.C., but you might be like well at least you have only seen parts of the third season, which is in progress now, but you be mistaken. I have borrowed Kalie's first and second season, and have made it half way through the second season as of 10 minutes ago. I bet most of the people who went to read this entry didn't think the entire thing would be about the O.C., or even any of it be about the O.C. Well I am done writing about that portion of my life. For those of you wondering what Thomas crum does on a daily basis, I will enlighten you, all of you. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I have classes in the morning, and they go to about 1 or 2 on a regular basis. Saturday I have a class from 9-12, and yes I do attend it. My work at the Sports Authority is based around what time I have school, and that schedule changed from week to week. So you might ask, if I am not working or attending class, what the heck do i do with my free time? thats easy...I love to play FIFA '06, which I bought with Patrick for their ps2. It has to be the best soccer game ever, and it is addicting. i watch tv, study, watch the 2nd season of the O.C., and talk to Kalie on the phone. Oh and I also eat alot of food. I also work out with Pat most nights on the back patio where they have a bench press. My max is 145, not a whole lot, but a week ago it was 105. Obviously life has changed for me about 180 degrees over the last month, but not in any bad ways. Of course I still attend church at WPC, and I have a nightly Bible study with kalie, and my own personal devotions as well. Life is good, and I hope you others can say the same about yourselfs as well. I can't wait until the 5th of March when Nate will be here, and kalie will be back on spring break with her friend liz, and we get to attend the concert of the best band ever...COLDPLAY!!!! Peace out all, and towards all Crums and Estradas, and some others I love you all!!


Love and Huge smooches,

Thomas cruM (aka The T.C.)

Webcam Video

In the footsteps of Numa Numa and Star Wars Kid comes the next "Big Hit" from a simple webcam production. Check this action out!!

Worth Watching

There were two reasons to watch the Super Bowl this afternoon. Macgyver was obviously the first and foremost reason. perhaps this is Magyver's last appearance on national television, or hopefully it is the beginning of a comeback tour, regardless, Macgyver will live in my heart forever.

Superman's Dad

Superman's Dad had a far better outfit than Superman. What's up with that? Of course Superman's Dad is superior to Superman in many ways. Superman's Dad did like all the work in preperation for Superman, all durring what must have been a very stressful time in his life. He's dealing with a worried wife (Superman's real mom), a dying planet, political rivals, and of course the physics of a hula-hoop prison for three criminals. Imagine what the ACLU had to say about that one! So he's going through all of this, all while he is building an icicle/space capsule deal, plotting a safe route to Earth from Krypton, and recording video answering all possible questions that his now infant son may have in the future. So why did Superman end up making himself such a ridiculous looking suit? Was it that desire to be different from his dad? Maybe it was that Al Gore "being his own man" type of thing. Of course there is something to be said for not trying to compete when you know you're beat. I wouldn't want to compete with the Godfather himself. The other possibility is that Superman's Dad discouraged Superman from wearing such a cool white suit because he knew of the cleanliness issues here on Earth. On Krypton there doesn't seem to be much dust or dirt, well not until that big explosion. Whereas here on our Earth Superman has so much crap to deal with, he doesn't have time to wash his outfit. Of course without realizing it I have once again proven how Batman is the best.

F14 Tomcat

Matt, I thought you might like this one.

Ch. 3 Lost (sorry ABC)

"Fools rush in" - Elvis Presley -

Scott slowly awoke to the quiet pitter-patter of rain on his face, and than he quickly awoke when a squirrel bit him on the knuckle. At that same instance a troupe of traveling gypsies stopped and the groups doctor checked him for rabies, and thankfully he came up negative. (It should be noted that the so-called "doctor" recieved his diploma from the University of Florida State, and therefore was not to be held in very, should I say, "high esteem".)

"Lost be thee" said the groups leader (he was old fashion, or maybe just a pirate pretending to be a gypsie so that he could travel the world and have many adventures... don't know where I was going with that... sorry!) "Me and all these that ye see before thee are me relatives, arrhh! And we'd be more the merryer if yed join wit us as we will have many a grand adventure!"

Now Scott was in quite a pickle... Join the gypsies or stay lost?

"I'd love to join you merry people!" came his quick reply as if he hadn't even put thought into the answer.

"Than lets be off"

As the group moved through the wood dancing and singing, (that is to say shortly that they were dancing the can-can to John Mayer's "Your Body Is A Wonderland") Scott stoped short, for he had heard a crash off to his port side, deep in the darkening wood. "We must investigate" came his cry, "There could be someone else out there who is lost!"

"O, we do not stray off the path into the untamed wood" came the reply from the groups leader. His voice had the sound of fear in it. "You were just lucky that you had come across the path, otherwise you would never have been found. If there be someone out yonder than they must help themselves for we cannot." With that the troupe picked up the singing and dancing once again and they continued on.

Scott, though scared, was determined to discover the object behind the noise.

Without another word he dashed into the thicket, never to be seen by the pirate gypsies again.

Tom Cruise - Mr. Rip-Off

Wow, I didn't know that the first scene in Mission Impossible II was a rip off. And not just a rip off from some other film (like an ode to the Odessa Steps) but it was a bold faced rip off from MacGyver. Check this out from Episode 1, season one!

Thomas is really here

Hey Thomas is finally on here...yeah!! Later one and all.

Thomas

He Has Arrived (With Mnemonics)

My personal blog page ( http://peterdcrumblogninja.blogspot.com/ ) is mostly about movies, but over here on the family page I think I'd like to try out something a little different. I have seen some of the other brothers do this and I would like to join in on the idea of building our relationships through discussions and reminiscing. My memory isn't always that great, and I always enjoy hearing from the other family members because it sparks memories that I haven't had for quite some time. In my time on this blog page I would like to pass along my memories of growing up, some of the experiences I've had out here in Colorado as well as what's currently going on in the Colorado Crum family life. I think that this will be appropriate for the family blog because it's about family, and family is what we are. Now of course I realize that there are some people who read this blog that are not necesarily part of the Crum family, but I think that through kindness and sharing, we can all help make them feel welcome too.

A New Crum Film

Okay, so this isn't that great (except for the awesome acting by Nathaniel P.) - You can view the new film at my blog or on google video. There are some bad edits and some stupid color filters (which messed up the image quality, but you should still check it out).

Guilty

It is amazing that over my three week Christmas break I found plenty of time to check this blog, but wouldn't put in any effort to post. So it is now 1:30am on Jan. 9 and the second semester begins, well...today, so what better time to make up for wasted time.
I always enter a new semester with caution. Am I actually going to have to study and pay attention this time? Will my classes be challanging for a change? I sure hope not, and as I am finding out as an education major, not likely.
My break started out rather action-packed. Nate came to town and kept me company at my apartment for a couple days, hanging out with Jon and Ben and Michal and other friends of his from B-town. Part of his reason for coming was to join Jon and me as we spent a week in Florida (possibly making the last trek from here to there). Our week included a Christmas open-house, March of the Penguins and various other flicks, and of course the much anticipated Crum Bowl 2K5. On the afternoon of our depature home, the Crum children present (and Kalie) battled it out on the gridiron in a match that forshadowed this year's Rose Bowl, that is to say it was a great game. I (as to be expected) was all-time QB/referee/brawl-breaker-uper. The game was full of excitement as momentum was constantly moving from one team to the other. I can't remember who was on whose teams, but let's just say the QB was awesome and Jesse (decked out in his "Twismas" "Tolts" uniform) flashed a preview of future dominance, catching Touchdowns and dominating the trash talk. The game had to be decided in overtime, and as our culture likes to say, "we were all winners!!"
Back in Bloomington the year came to a quiet close, Nate left on the 31st, and the New Year was brought in with a few friends. The past two weeks have been relaxing, I've worked a bit, enjoyed the unseasonably warm temperatures (66 degrees a couple of days) and now it's time to do the student thing for another 16 weeks.
While plans for Spring Break are still in limbo, I anticipate a trip to Baltimore to visit the family in their new and improved locale. But for now, I must bid you all good night.
GO COLTS!!

Back to the Basics

There seems to be a trend lately on this blog of writing fictional pieces or comical editorials. This is great because it gives those of us with nothing better to do, something to do. However, it is also good to get an update of what's going on in the rest of the Crum States, those being Indiana, Florida, Colorado, Maryland (soon enough) and California (the official Crum State according to Peter) as well as Pennsylvania and Nova Scotia (though we're not really sure why). So here's a little update on the Ben Crum Family (also known as Unit-3).

My beautiful wife Michal is currently out of the country with her sister, Heather, who is adopting a baby from Ethiopia. They are in the capital city, Addis Ababa, which is home to over 5 million (as I am told - in other words, according to the BBC). They left last Saturday morning (we left Bloomington at 3:30 in the morning to drive to Indy) and were slated to return this weekend. However, some complications and miscommunications have potentially extended their stay 'till the end of next week. I can't wait.

I've been filling my time with odd jobs around the house and cranking out book covers at work (also I have been watching movies with Jon). Nothing really new other than that.

For those of you who don't know, we have a dog. His name is Congo (supposedly there is a jungle with the same name). I liked the name because I thought it was a cross between Pongo, from 101 Damnations, and Caleb, the most famous and beloved Crum pet (followed close behind by Moses the Cardinal Slayer). Congo is a good dog, he's sometimes a spazz and often smells like, well, like a dog.

Well, that's all for me. I hope the rest of you (especially Peter and Jess, and Thomas) keep the rest of us posted with what you're up to. And if anyone can convince Pop to start blogging that would be awesome.