In Memory of Jim Jangula

Dear Grandpa,

I have missed you for a long time. It is sad that I will now forever miss you. You are gone and I cannot bring you back. We had many wonderful memories that we shared together, and there could have been more.

Even though you moved away and abandoned us, thus negating any chance for creating more fond memories with us, we never stopped loving you--I never stopped loving you.

You are my grandpa. You are my friend. I love you more than as a family member; I loved you as a person. I wanted nothing more than for you to make amends with your family and with me, so that you would move down to California and be with those ones who do love you--your family.

But now, your family that loved you dearly cannot make amends with you. Sadly, you died all alone, and it was by your choice that you should die in that way.

Even more sad is the fact that we have no idea whether or not you are a Christian and therefore with the Lord Jesus Christ right now. Yes, you are a Catholic, but I don't know if you were a Christian. Your actions did not identify yourself as a Christian--a disciple of Christ.

And so I find myself coming to the point where I ask, "Did I do everything in my power to make sure that you received and understood the gospel of Jesus Christ? Did I go to great lengths to make sure you knew that Jesus loves you? And did I take paintstaking measures to ensure that you would not be punished for your ignorance and rejection of the gospel for all eternity?"

I don't know if I did. I am saddened by the fact that I cannot clearly determine if I did. I know I tried to be Jesus to you, but I don't know if I did everything in my power to ensure you would not go to hell. I am sad. I am sad. I am sad. It pains me to know that you might possibly be in hell right now. I hope that you are not; I hope that your faith extended beyond your Catholic title. I hope that you are in the presence of the living God, Jesus Christ, right now as I type this letter. But I do not have the assurance that you are indeed with the Lord, and I am deeply saddened by that fact.

Grandpa, I heard how you died, and I am really taken back by the news. I wish I could turn back time and talk to you just a little bit more, flew up to see you in Spokaine, and played some cards and chess with you. I wish I could figure out another one of your puzzles. I wish I could sit in your wheelchair next to you once more. I miss you. I miss you. I miss you. But it's too late. You are gone.

But what is most frustrating is the annoying question--"why?" Why did this happen? What caused this? I hope it wasn't me. I hope it wasn't the last email I sent you. If anything I only ever tried to extend to you a loving embrace through emails. So what was it that pushed you so far? I truthfully wish you hadn't. We still had so much time to enjoy together. We still had so much time to make more memories with each other. Isn't that enough to consider continuing living?

You made your choice and it cannot be reversed. However, I, still being here in this world, can look in reverse and see all those good times that we had. It is those memories that I will remember you by, not by your death, although I will remember this tragic moment. All the love that you gave me as your grandson through all the time you spent with me, all the jokes you shared with me, all the puzzles you gave to me, all the gifts you blessed me with, all the hugs and kisses you shed on me, or letting me play in your wheelchair just so I could entertain myself a little bit while you and Grandma, and Mom and Dad played Pinochle created a strong bond between you and me that no one could break, not even you. You did not break it when you left for Spokaine; I still felt the strong bond between you and me even through our emails.

I am glad that we corresponded from time to time through the Internet. I am glad that we were able to talk and consider theological issues. I am glad that we kept in contact. I am glad that you, despite having said that you were done being "Grandpa," still acted as my grandpa through email. I am glad that I prayed for you and you for me and Lindsay. I am glad that we thought of each other. Such things demonstrate that distance could not come close to destroying our bond. But now a different test has come upon our bond, and that test is death.

Will death break our bond? Undoubtedly, yes. Death has a powerful sting. It has taken away the second of two partners in the bond; there can be no bond with only one person. The bond is now broken, and I am left in pieces.

I am sad. I miss you. But even though you are gone and our bond is broken, I still love you. The bond might be defeated, but not so with love. I still love you and I will always love you, Grandpa. I am proud to say that I am glad that I was named after you. I know you weren't perfect, but I am fond of the memories between you and I, and those memories are all that I need when I consider you as a person.

So, Grandpa, my friend, I say, "Goodbye," but I do not say it with the idea that I will never think of you again, for the memories that we share are part and parcel of who I am as a person today. I say, "Goodbye," with the expectancy that I will take you, even if just a little bit, everywhere I go.

I love you, Grandpa. Goodbye.

Love,

your grandson,

James

David Weckl Tutorial Solo

I like this solo; check it out. Dave Weckl is one drummer that I aspire after. If you like the drums, you'll like this video.

Halo 3 Beta for Xbox Live

The Xbox Live beta version of Halo 3 is quite impressive despite the fact that it is an unfinished product (hence the name). Overall, this game sure is beta than Halo 2 (pun intended). The graphics, although unpolished, are quite pleasant. The play is much more refined, which means that more accuracy is required. In terms of realism, it seems to be even better than before and more realistic than ever considering that it is a ficticious android-like character. The ranking system is fantastic and a sure step above the Halo 2 version. Now there is a ranking system based on military-style ranks and not a numeric number. The ranks appear to only increase and never decrease, unlike the previous games in the Halo trilogy. If you win, ranking points are awarded. If you lose, zero points are awarded. Something new for the game that I would like to mention is the Spartan Laser. Although it requires a 3-second charge, it is quite useful. Something else that I would like to note is the return of the Assault Rifle. It is a bit more useful in this game and is actually not all that bad. Some of the other weapons have been made more useful, such as the Needler, while others have been made more difficult to use, such as the Sniper. There are all sorts of features about this game that are new and many of them have already been exploited on You Tube; for further information on such additions, search around there. Halo 3 Beta was a blast to play. Apparently it is only available until June 10, 2007. If you really want to play it before it is shut down, go get Crackdown and ensure that you have a gold account for Xbox Live and you will be able to play up until June 10. Otherwise, you will have to wait until September.

The Wooden Bowl

My grandpa sent me this story. It is the story of the wooden bowl. Here it is:

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table.

But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. 'We must do something about father,' said the son. 'I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.'

So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl!

When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometime he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, 'What are youmaking?" Just as sweetly, the boy responded, 'Oh, I a m making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table.

For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

This story contains some powerful implications. First, children do study their parents' every move. Parents really need to be careful how they act, treat each other, other people and their own children. Second, have an attitude of grace towards everyone, including those that are the most difficult to love. You know the old adage, "Do unto others . . ." Well, treat people now in the same way that you would want to be treated. For example, do you want your children to treat you like a mere nuisance? If you do, then treat your parents like mere nuisances.

How about you? What other implications or lessons do you think stem forth from this story? What did you take away from this story?

My Drum Set

I didn't intend to actually do this post as a response to the previous post called "My Drum Box," but it just worked out this way. By making that video, I realized that I really miss the drums. I ended up giving up on Ebay and I went to Guitar Center (GC) to get a kit. I got such a good deal there, and although I don't know why, I can't complain. I received close to a 30% discount from them and for no reason other than I needed a kit to fit my budget and the guy who was helping me basically said not to worry about the prices because he would "hook me up with a phat discount." So, I got some stuff that I didn't dream of getting with my budget, and I walked out of there with a kit for exactly what I could afford.

I bought the following items from GC:

1. PDP (made by DW) MX 5 piece shell kit (100% maple shells)
   
2. PDP rack
   
3. DW Delta III Accelerator 5000 double bass pedal
   
4. PDP hi-hat stand
   
5. PDP throne
   
6. 2 Gibraltar Cymbal Boom Arms
   
7. PDP rack clamp
   
8. PDP snare stand
   
9. Sabian AAX 10" Splash
   
10. Sabian AA 16" Medium Thin Crash
    
11. Sabian AA 18" Medium Thin Crash
    
12. Sabian AA 21" Rock Ride
    
13. Sabian AA 14" Rock Hi-Hats
    

This drum set is quite a bit nicer than the drum set I used to have. It isn't that I didn't love my old drum set, because I did, and I regret selling it last summer, but when there is no room for it and money is tight, what can you do? Now I have a set, and I am glad I picked it up at GC. That purchase makes for two times in a row that GC hooked me up real big. The first time, about five or six years ago, GC gave me about 60% off on Zildjian Custom K cymbals because Skip's Music was having a 50% off tent sale and GC said they would beat their prices. Now GC has hooked me up again, which further guaranteed my future business; if they hadn't already gained my loyalty from the first purchase, the second one sealed the deal. I'll be a GC customer for the rest of my drumming life because of the way they have helped me out and treated me as a customer. Two thumbs up to GC!

Note: pictures will be posted after I find a place to put this kit and set it up. Please have patience!

My Drum Box

I am a drummer. I have been playing the drums since I was in the 4th grade. My first drum set was a CB Percussion 5-piece with one crash and a hi-hat. It was a piece of junk, but it got the job done, so there are no complaints there. My second drum set was a 7-piece 75th Anniversary Premier kit. It was marine pearl white. It had Zildjian cymbals--Dark Custom K's and an A series--with two crash, one ride, one hi-hat, and one splash.

When I graduaed from college and relocated in Sacramento, I had to sell my lovely 75th Anniversar kit, because I had no place for it to go. The sad thing is I didn't get what it was worth. When there is no demand for it, the value doesn't mean squat. So, now I am drum-less, but will that really stop me? Certainly not. This video demonstrates that drummers don't necessarily need a drum set to work on their chops. Here is my makeshift drum and four improvised cadences. Enjoy.



(Anyone care to guess and say that I was bored?)

Spider-Man 3: a short review of a disappointing movie

Needless to say, Spider-Man 3 was disappointing. It was slow, too dramatic, nothing innovative with Spider-Man's character in the action sequences, there were too many villains, and the story betrayed the comics/cartoon. Without spoiling the movie for anyone at this time, I'd have to say that the ending was not very good. The graphics and effects were unbelievable. The story, however, was not unbelievable. It lacked the quick-pace action and was filled instead with romance drama. It had an unnecessary cheesy atmosphere throughout quite a bit of it. And the emo style look for Peter while wearing the symbiont was a bit distasteful, even for Spider-Man. Unless you want to waste an unnecessary amount of money to see it for yourself by going to the theater, wait for it to come out on video. It is entertaining, but it is not up to the comics-made-film standard.

Check Out This Post

Ben Witherington over at benwitherington.blogspot.com recently posted a story of an atheist at Loyola in Chicago, by Professor John Powell. Go check it out!