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.