Redemption!

So for those of you who get your kicks and giggles watching me screw up the news - here's a gem for you. This was the last news broadcast of the semester, and probably the last time I'll ever get a chance to report the weather on live TV, so I decided to make it worthwhile.

Guadalupe

Here's a photo from the first legitimate pay-to-get-in-and-buy-our-CD show by James & James at Zeke's on Saturday night.

We had a turn out of about 100 people, which is intense - especially on a night when there were two other large (not to mention FREE) concerts in Ames.

It's no lie that we have the most stellar fanbase ever - it never hurts to have some great friends who support what you're doing. We just released our first album, "Guadalupe," which should be up on iTunes fairly soon, so be sure to check that out.

If it seems like the whole James & James thing has kind of gone to the next level recently, it's thanks to this incredibly talented and creative guy: Bradford Johnson.

He's one of James L.'s good friends from Des Moines who offered to take some photos and design our album art. We went down to Des Moines for a few shots, and next thing you know we've got some really legitimate looking posters, then he offered to work things out with a printing company to get our CD's packaged and shipped, then he even created a ballin' techno remix of one of our songs (by far the most radio-worthy song on the album).

Countless other friends have also helped us a lot recently - Bobby Scott took a ton of time helping us record our tracks, and many more gave time and talent to the making of the album, not to mention all of the contributors and guest stars we've included in our shows.

Basically what I'm getting at is that this whole James & James thing all comes down to great friends. So to all of the supporters, know this - James and I are blown away by the encouragement we get from all of you. We've always been about putting on a good time for our friends, so here's to many more fantastic shows down the road!

Here's some links to our online stuff - yep...we're a dot com now, no big deal (thanks, Bradford!)
http://www.twojames.com
http://www.myspace.com/jamesnjames
http://www.twitter.com/jamesandjames

Leadership Training

Last weekend, myself and five other Salt Company guys road tripped to Wichita, Kansas, for leadership training with FI. These five guys and myself are leading teams overseas this summer, so the head honchos over at FI decided it would probably be good if we got a little bit of learning in us before we leave the country.

We arrived at the church in Wichita at about 3:40 p.m. Friday afternoon, and despite being 10 minutes late, we were greeted by a big smile and firm hand shake from tall, gangly-looking guy named Rusty C.



Here are some notes on my experience with Mr. C. over the weekend:

• When he speaks, listen, because what he's saying is purposeful, pertinent, and probably profound (yes, I appreciate alliteration).
• This guy can teach you how to fly fish in under a minute.
• I have never envied a southern drawl so much in my life.

So there were somewhere between 20 and 30 of us training that weekend, from universities all over the country. I have to admit...when I saw this rag-tag group of college leaders, my initial gut reaction was, "I wonder how many of these people were home-schooled?" Needless to say, I had to do a little attitude check on myself at that point - and throughout the weekend, God did a lot of shattering and convicting me of my pride.

Here's just one such pride-shattering moment brought on by a question posed by Dave Mitchell, one of our speakers: "Are you leading out of self-promotion or selfless worship?"

If I'm completely honest with myself, I know that I sometimes pursue leadership positions simply because I like titles. Salt Company Leader, Worship Leader, Program Director, FOCUS Team Leader - they all sound really good, jot 'em down on the resume! But where was my hear when I accepted these challenges? Did I step up in order to meet a need for the kingdom, or just to quench the thirst of my own ambitions? There were probably elements of both. But the truth of the matter is God has used me in every one of those positions for the benefit of His kingdom, no matter what my original motivation was. And that's whats great about God - he is able to use even dumb people like me to do His work.

Here are some other little tidbits from the weekend:

• "Vision is the clear mental picture of what could be, fueled by the conviction that it should be."
• Gravitate toward conflict and call fouls early. "A straw never breaks the camels back if we're continually unloading the camel."
• Leadership must be earned, it's a privilege granted by the follower. Serve according to their needs - not your own strengths.
• Girls will cry. DON'T PANIC.

Epic News Fail

Here's a treat for you - this is one of my most glorious moments on the I-State News. Like many of you, I've stumbled across this sub-par newscast on Channel 18 from time to time, and I always thought, "You're reading words off of a teleprompter - what could be so hard about that?" Well, my cockiness was rewarded on this day...

You can see more shenanigans like this one every Tuesday and Thursday on Channel 18 at 3:30 p.m.

Brian Kalina

There are some things that make me laugh no matter how many times I see them. This is one of those things.

My friend Brian Kalina is responsible for this. If you know Brian you are probably thinking to yourself, "Yeah, that sounds about right." Here are some more of my favorite Kalina Kreations.

Monkey Problems

I think Michael Scott put it best when he said, "Monkey problems? Why would I have monkey problems - I hate monkeys."

Ever since I first watched the live-action Leslie Neilsen film, "Mr. Magoo," I have been afraid of baboons. Ever since I watched "Congo," I have been afraid of gorillas. Ever since I watched "Jumanji," I have been afraid of poorly-animated computer-generated monkeys. Call it unfair media portrayal, but behind every negative stereotype is some shred of truth - and today my primate fears were justified.

This is Travis, a pet chimpanzee who used to live with his 70-year-old owner and starred in ads for Coca-Cola and Old Navy, until he viciously mauled some woman and ripped her face off. I just listened to the 9-1-1 call on CNN.com (click here) - the whole thing just baffles me. Here are some issues that I feel must be brought up.

1) Why does this woman own a monkey? The average chimpanzee is 5-7 times stronger than the average human, and approximately 400 times worse at communicating its emotions in a healthy manner. The question is not if this monkey would rip somebody's face off, it was when.

2) This monkey used the toilet, brushed his teeth and drank wine from a stemmed glass. Stop training your monkeys! People are concerned about a robot uprising - but what about monkeys!? Treat them like humans, and what do you think is going to happen? Trust me, if you give a chimp a wine glass, he's going to want civil liberties to go with it.

3) Travis had a reputation! Apparently back in 2003 he got out of the house and "wreaked havoc" in the streets of Stamford, Connecticut. I have no idea what this rampage must have looked like, but I can tell you it was probably a little more terrifying than this:

In conclusion - don't own a monkey. If you're a 70-year-old woman living alone, definitely don't own a monkey. 

5 months later...

So, me and blogging have been on a break for about the past five months. My relationship with blogging started fiery and passionate, but after about a week I realized that it takes some dedication and commitment to keep it going. So, in keeping with my natural male instincts, I ditched it.

But now I'm back. For those die-hard followers of this blog (e.g. Mom), this probably feels a lot like the last season of "Lost" when the writers strike caused it to be off the air for like half of a year. So let's do a recap of what has happened in the last five months.

Previously on James' life:

(Steve, if you're reading this, just insert "Time warp! Time warp! Time warp!" between each of these months).

September

I turned 22, and I got an accordion for my birthday. I also realized that the gap between 21 and 22 is bigger than any other birthday I have experienced thus far. If you're not there yet, it's very strange. It's the only age differential that I have not looked forward to. When people ask me how old I am, I want to say I am 21 - an age with lots of opportunities and seemingly few obligations. Instead I have to respond, "I am an adult who should probably have his life pretty much settled by now. No, I do not have a job lined up. No, I am not dating anyone. Yes, I do live an apartment that is referred to as 'The Hang Zone.' I am the downfall of this nation."

October

I don't remember much about this month, so I used my Gmail archives to see what I was up to. As far as email is concerned, October was defined by unopened messages from Joe Biden and tryouts for Cornerstone's Christmas production, "Esmerelda." More on that later. This was also the month of an epic Halloween party, where I dressed up as Matt Foley - motivational speaker.

November

This month started off with a bang, as my dad and I got to attend Iowa's huge upset over the then third-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions. If you did not know this already, I am a Hawk fan, born and raised - this does not mean that I hate the Cyclones, I just root against them when they play Iowa.

There was also a major non-upset that happened this month, with Obama winning the election. I am a journalist, so it's pretty much in my job description to freak out of my mind at the mention of his name, to squeal with delight whenever he goes to the gym, and to sit on the edge of my seat wondering what he's going to name his dog. I'm glad the election is over.

December

This month was defined by long and numerous rehearsals for "Esmerelda," in which I played the role of Pickory. I got to wear a very uncomfortable wig and costume and speak in a British accent for about a month. This was a great experience - the DVD is coming out soon. This was also the month when at one point my room looked like this:

The rest of the apartment wasn't much better. Go here for a detailed photo essay about how this was dealt with.

January

Last month, I started my last semester at Iowa State. I also found out that I will be going to South Asia for two months this summer on a Focus mission trip. Last month was also the beginning of a new musical collaboration in my life - Island Justice.

The existence of this video solidifies the fact that I will never be elected to a major political office.

So, there it is in a nutshell - it's fun to reminisce. Who knows how long this recommitment to blogging will last, but I don't foresee that I will be taking any more 5-month breaks.