Today is an old friend's birthday. I met him in high school (he sat two seats behind me in IPC) and we ended up having the same life dream of working in the movie industry. We even went to the same college (although we only had one or two classes together). Checking out his photos on Facebook I start seeing other faces I know, people that I went to college with. And these people and my friend are doing exactly what I have dreamed of doing all of my life. I turned and went a different direction, but they are living out my life's dream. Yet I would have it no other way.
When I was a kid (think elementary school) my brother told me that I should grow up to be a pyrotechnic engineer. "What's that?" I asked. "It is someone who is paid to blow stuff up." he replied. "Cool! I want to do that!" was my obvious reply.
But that career dream didn't stay the same long. What I soon realized is that I didn't dream of being a pyrotechnic engineer, what I dreamed of is working on special effects on movie sets. And soon after that my dreames turned from working on special effects to just working on movie sets.
All through middle school and high school I wanted to work in the movies. I dreamed most of being a director (in this industry who doesn't?), but I really didn't care what job I was doing. "My life's dream is to, someday, watch a movie and at the end see my name. I don't care where my name is, first thing after the credits start rolling or last thing before the final logo, I just want to see it there."
And so the last two years of high school and my entire college career were focused on that one goal: getting my name in the credits of a movie. Of course the idea wasn't to stop there, the idea was to (in one way of putting it) get my name sooner and sooner in the credits until one day it would end up as the first name you see when the credits start rolling. I worked long and hard on this goal, it was what I lived for.
And what would you know? Not a month after I graduated college I was on the set of a FILM! Granted, it was a small budget film that was using mostly students to work it, but it was a full blown bonafide film set.
I met a lot of amazing people while working on that film, but I already knew a lot of the people I was working with (they were students with me at UNT). And surprise surprise who shows up but my friend from two seats behind me in IPC class, who has paralleled my education career and has ended up at the same place as me. We had a great time working on that set together.
Fast forward three years: I haven't set foot on a film set since the first week of January '08, and here I sit looking at photos of my friend from high school hanging out and working on film sets with all of my college RTVF buddies.
Sure, part of me longs for the good old days with my friends, moving lights around and setting up c-stands; it was the thing I have dreamed of doing for most of my life! And yet I wouldn't trade my life with theirs for ANYTHING! The reason why comes back to that cold first week of 2008 working on my first film set:
I hated it.
The reason is simple: working on that set was the most un-creative thing I have done in my entire life. The mantra of a grip/gaffer on set is "Do exactly what you are told, and do nothing else." For those that know me well: this didn't sit well with me!
I kept looking around the set and would try to make things "better". Not that I would step out of my role as a grip/gaffer, I was just trying to be the best at what I was doing. For example if asked to bring one apple box I would bring two just in case another was needed. I would think ahead and start putting gels on windows before I was asked to. I would clean up after people, and right other people's "wrongs" (that's my OCD speaking).
It took me a few days to figure out why everyone continually yelled at me.
See, my job was not to bring an extra apple box or think ahead. In fact my job was to not think at all! "Do exactly what you are told, and do nothing else." "I don't care if we will end up putting gels on those windows, I didn't tell you to do it, so why are you doing it?"
I was lost.
I was in a world that dumbs you down, a world that doesn't want you to think for yourself, a world that demands that you eat the crumbs that have fallen off of the master's plate long before you earn the right to ever get a full bite to eat, much less the feast they advertise in the "Special Features" section of "The Matrix" DVD.
And so I entered the second week of January '08 with my dreams shattered, completely deflated, crushed. And yet I wouldn't have it any other way!
See: on the surface those two weeks were a huge sudden change for me, an absolute shock to my system. And yet they totally play into a much more subtle story, one that goes back just as far as the last story and one that would continue to this day (and beyond).
Back when I was telling everyone that I wanted to be a pyrotechnic engineer I was also telling everyone that I was a Christian. But that was a lie.
In middle school I fell into pornography. I was addicted like a drunk wants a drink. I planned my day around it, and I became very good at hiding what I was really doing on the computer all those hours.
And after every "session" I felt the guilt. I knew it was wrong. I knew what I was doing was against God's will. And yet I kept doing it.
I was living a lie. I wore Christian shirts to school to feel righteous, but would then go home and defy God with all that I was. And it wasn't just the pornography. I wasn't going to church, I didn't read my Bible, I was spiritually dead.
Sure I could quote you John 3:16 and I knew the Sunday School stories of Noah and Moses. But my heart cared more about the pleasures of this life than about God. In reality I was the worst kind of Christian there is: a Cultural Christian; one that proclaims Jesus as his Lord but never actually lives it.
The Bible uses the illustration of a fruit bearing tree. "Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit." (Luke 7:17-18, NIV).
At that time in my life what fruit was I bearing? Well I wasn't reading scripture, I wasn't going to church, and I was spending all of my time watching TV and pornography. Looks like I was bearing bad fruit.
Yet I am not the same today, so what changed? Well I wish that I could say that some bright light knocked some sense into me, or even that there was one passionate night of prayer at youth camp. But it was nothing exciting as that. In fact it is downright boring: After (quite randomly) deciding to give up pornography in college I began a slow U-turn, changing from someone in love with self into someone in love with God. I love the term "repent" and the imagery it brings to mind. The word literally means to turn 180 degrees and go in the opposite direction. I now live a repentant life: I have turned away from my sin and I am going in the other direction.
And smack dab in the middle of this U-turn was January 1st 2008, the best/worst week of my life, working my dream job as those same dreams came crashing down around me.
If the Devil were in charge of me them there is no telling what would have happened to me after that. Gone back to pornography? Probably. Fallen in with the wrong crowd? Maybe. Become so depressed that there would be no light at the end of the tunnel? Most definitely.
But God wouldn't have that! In fact I am convinced that God saw this coming! See, four years before my dreams vanished like cupcakes at a children's party my brother somehow convinced me to start helping out with sound at a small country church. (Nowadays I think he did it because he didn't care about why I was going to church, as long as I was there.)
Over the next four years that little charity act by my brother became a full blown passion in my life. I became head of the AV team at one of the fastest growing Methodist churches in America (not a little country church any more, is it?), and I was also volunteering at the largest church in Denton at their night and college services.
So while the Devil was ready to tear me down by ripping away my life's dream, God revealed that he had already built a different foundation for me to step onto, a passion that to this day is still the focus of my life.
I eat and breathe church media. My day revolves around it. The only reason I am running a small business on the side is that the church can't pay me full time wages (which makes sense because it isn't a full time position). If it doesn't involve church media, family, or a way to pay the rent at the end of the month, chances are I am probably not doing it (which may just explain why I am still single... but I digress!).
And I blame (PRAISE!) God for all of this! I believe that He was working through my brother in 2003 when he convinced me to help out at the church. And I believe that He continued to work through me so that when my dreams shattered one cold week in January 2008 He could reveal to me that my true passion in life made my old dreams look like a faded black and white TV set.
Fast forward three years. I sit here tonight looking at photos of my high school friend. He has continued down the path that I once dreamed of, working on film sets with all of my old college RTVF buddies.
And I (thank God!) would have it no other way.
Matthew
PS: To read about my addiction to pornography, read this post.
DCI
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Tonight was an amazing night! For the first time I got to see a DCI show LIVE! It was a great show and I had a fun time hanging out with my roommate.
And I took photos. Lots of photos.
OK, not lots of photos like my brother would take lots of photos, but in the four hours we were in the stadium I took 113 photos and 12 videos. So I am creating a post on my much neglected blog to share many of those photos and videos with you. So here we go!
NOTE: I recently purchased my first iPhone and I haven't had a chance to compare my old point-and-shoot (a DCS-1050 from Norcent) to the iPhone 4 camera. So the below photos are a mixture of both iPhone photos and point-and-shoot photos. The site that I am using to host the photos (PhotoBucket) is compressing the images, so you won't get a full comparison between the two cameras, but you will still be able to notice the difference. I just wanted to point this out to explain why some photos look different.
NOTE 2: Click on photos to see a much larger version (though, as stated above, it is still not the original photo).
Vigilantes - Denton, TX
The show started off with a small local corps.
Music City - Nashville, TN
Another small corps, but not local.
Forte - Grand Prairie, TX
Another small corps, this time local again. (Trust me, the commentary gets better later.)
Velvet Knights - Pasadena, CA
The Velvet Knights were a BLAST to watch, probably the band that had the most fun on field tonight. They were dancing and being super creative, all while wearing bright red Converse shoes.
Revolution - San Antonio, TX
The first band of decent size, Revolution was fun to watch.
Crossmen - San Antonio, TX
The first "World Class" corps, the Crossmen were a great watch.
(taken via camera, for comparison)
(taken via iPhone, for comparison)
Madison Scouts - Madison, WI
I enjoy watching the Madison Scouts, if only because I was a Boy Scout once! Great team to watch!
Blue Stars - La Crosse, WI
My roommate and I agree: the Blue Stars were the most fun to watch all night long! Their theme was based on Houdini, and they made great use of the theme. For example, for the first few minutes all of the color guard are in straight jackets, yet they still find ways to twirl their flags while "struggling" to get free. Very well done!
Carolina Crown - Ft. Mill, SC
I had never heard of the Carolina Crown before, but they were an amazing corps. Very well executed!
(panorama via AutoStitch for iPhone)
The Cadets - Allentown, PA
Coming into this competition I had a bias: I am a huge fan of The Cadets. This year's theme was "Toy Soldier", and they pulled if off very well.
The Cavaliers - Rosemont, IL
The Cavaliers are the home town favorites, and they didn't disappoint! It wasn't a huge surprise when they won best of show. They deserved it!
Encore - by The Cavaliers
(panorama via to Photoshop)
Awards
Final Scores - World Class
91.85 The Cavaliers
90.05 Carolina Crown
89.25 The Cadets
87.2 Blue Stars
83.0 Madison Scouts
77.1 Crossmen
Final Scores - Open Class
79.85 Revolution
74.65 Forte
73.8 Music City
72.6 Velvet Knights
Special thanks to:
Luke, my coworker, who let me off tonight. Super Thanks!
PhotoBucket for hosting the photos
YouTube for hosting the videos
A Better Finder Attributes for helping me to fix the 42 minute lag from one of my cameras.
Matthew
And I took photos. Lots of photos.
OK, not lots of photos like my brother would take lots of photos, but in the four hours we were in the stadium I took 113 photos and 12 videos. So I am creating a post on my much neglected blog to share many of those photos and videos with you. So here we go!
NOTE: I recently purchased my first iPhone and I haven't had a chance to compare my old point-and-shoot (a DCS-1050 from Norcent) to the iPhone 4 camera. So the below photos are a mixture of both iPhone photos and point-and-shoot photos. The site that I am using to host the photos (PhotoBucket) is compressing the images, so you won't get a full comparison between the two cameras, but you will still be able to notice the difference. I just wanted to point this out to explain why some photos look different.
NOTE 2: Click on photos to see a much larger version (though, as stated above, it is still not the original photo).
Vigilantes - Denton, TX
The show started off with a small local corps.
Music City - Nashville, TN
Another small corps, but not local.
Forte - Grand Prairie, TX
Another small corps, this time local again. (Trust me, the commentary gets better later.)
Velvet Knights - Pasadena, CA
The Velvet Knights were a BLAST to watch, probably the band that had the most fun on field tonight. They were dancing and being super creative, all while wearing bright red Converse shoes.
Revolution - San Antonio, TX
The first band of decent size, Revolution was fun to watch.
Crossmen - San Antonio, TX
The first "World Class" corps, the Crossmen were a great watch.
(taken via camera, for comparison)
(taken via iPhone, for comparison)
Madison Scouts - Madison, WI
I enjoy watching the Madison Scouts, if only because I was a Boy Scout once! Great team to watch!
Blue Stars - La Crosse, WI
My roommate and I agree: the Blue Stars were the most fun to watch all night long! Their theme was based on Houdini, and they made great use of the theme. For example, for the first few minutes all of the color guard are in straight jackets, yet they still find ways to twirl their flags while "struggling" to get free. Very well done!
Carolina Crown - Ft. Mill, SC
I had never heard of the Carolina Crown before, but they were an amazing corps. Very well executed!
(panorama via AutoStitch for iPhone)
The Cadets - Allentown, PA
Coming into this competition I had a bias: I am a huge fan of The Cadets. This year's theme was "Toy Soldier", and they pulled if off very well.
The Cavaliers - Rosemont, IL
The Cavaliers are the home town favorites, and they didn't disappoint! It wasn't a huge surprise when they won best of show. They deserved it!
Encore - by The Cavaliers
(panorama via to Photoshop)
Awards
Final Scores - World Class
91.85 The Cavaliers
90.05 Carolina Crown
89.25 The Cadets
87.2 Blue Stars
83.0 Madison Scouts
77.1 Crossmen
Final Scores - Open Class
79.85 Revolution
74.65 Forte
73.8 Music City
72.6 Velvet Knights
Special thanks to:
Luke, my coworker, who let me off tonight. Super Thanks!
PhotoBucket for hosting the photos
YouTube for hosting the videos
A Better Finder Attributes for helping me to fix the 42 minute lag from one of my cameras.
Matthew
Quote of the day
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Quote of the day: "This is America, we focus on what we want to. That's our right. That's what freedom is. Some people are all about education, some people could give a crap. Some people care about disease and ending malaria, some people want to put socks on troops, some people want to eat donuts, some people want to eat cookies. It's a choice; it's a freedom; it's America!" ~OhDoctah (AKA Owen JJ Stone) on This Week in Tech
Words of Guilt
Saturday, March 06, 2010
"Words of Guilt" by Matthew Kelling
Words fill the screen,
pages and pages,
words forever.
He reads the words,
filled with awe,
wonder, excitement.
He is transfixed by the words,
he reads them as they scroll by,
on and on, page after page.
The words give meaning to his life,
define him, console him
in the most pleasant of ways.
He has to stop,
but the words cry out for him to continue,
he feels the guilt,
but the rapture he feels doesn't care,
deep down he knows,
but up above the thoughts are pushed aside.
The words keep scrolling,
faster, faster,
the beat of his heart keeps time,
faster, faster.
Suddenly he stops!
not because there are no more words to read
(oh there are so many more),
but because the deed is done.
Now the guilt pours in,
it drowns him,
buckets of guilt,
shame, pain.
Is this who he is?
Defined by such words,
and nothing else?
"What have I done?"
"The promises I have broken..."
"The pain I have caused..."
Again,
...again,
......again.
"Why, God, why?"
"Make me stop!"
"This was the last time!"
Again,
...again,
......again.
"Unworthy as I am,
how could you ever forgive me?"
"...am I forgiven?"
His soul cries out for the crimes he committed,
but deep down inside
he knows he will commit again.
*****
Why does mankind lust? Is it because of some deep primal urge brought on since the beginning of time? Is it culture and media pressing their agenda onto us? Is it our wicked flesh getting the better of us? Is it demons attacking us while we are defenseless?
Regardless of the reason, I know I am forgiven.
Will I commit again? I hope not, but there is a chance. One thing I know is that there are no words of lust, no pictures of cute girls, no videos of obscene acts that could ever separate me from the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. Amen.
~Matthew Kelling
Words fill the screen,
pages and pages,
words forever.
He reads the words,
filled with awe,
wonder, excitement.
He is transfixed by the words,
he reads them as they scroll by,
on and on, page after page.
The words give meaning to his life,
define him, console him
in the most pleasant of ways.
He has to stop,
but the words cry out for him to continue,
he feels the guilt,
but the rapture he feels doesn't care,
deep down he knows,
but up above the thoughts are pushed aside.
The words keep scrolling,
faster, faster,
the beat of his heart keeps time,
faster, faster.
Suddenly he stops!
not because there are no more words to read
(oh there are so many more),
but because the deed is done.
Now the guilt pours in,
it drowns him,
buckets of guilt,
shame, pain.
Is this who he is?
Defined by such words,
and nothing else?
"What have I done?"
"The promises I have broken..."
"The pain I have caused..."
Again,
...again,
......again.
"Why, God, why?"
"Make me stop!"
"This was the last time!"
Again,
...again,
......again.
"Unworthy as I am,
how could you ever forgive me?"
"...am I forgiven?"
His soul cries out for the crimes he committed,
but deep down inside
he knows he will commit again.
*****
Why does mankind lust? Is it because of some deep primal urge brought on since the beginning of time? Is it culture and media pressing their agenda onto us? Is it our wicked flesh getting the better of us? Is it demons attacking us while we are defenseless?
Regardless of the reason, I know I am forgiven.
Will I commit again? I hope not, but there is a chance. One thing I know is that there are no words of lust, no pictures of cute girls, no videos of obscene acts that could ever separate me from the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. Amen.
~Matthew Kelling
"Rockin Songs"
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Here is my (old) iTunes playlist that I have always worked out to. I am now creating a new playlist as this one is a bit old and needs refreshing. Clicking on a song will open the playlist in iTunes, once there you can preview all of the songs.
Matthew
Matthew
Family Religion
Friday, January 15, 2010
Our family has never engaged in religion together.
Don't get me wrong. Probably every person I am related to is a Christian (of one denomination or another). We all grew up Christian and we share the same beliefs.
But when we come together to celebrate holidays, birthdays, or just to hang out, we mostly leave our religion at the door. It is not that we start cussing and telling dirty jokes, we just don't bring our faith into our relationships. We never bring the entire extended family to one church on Sunday, we don't worship together, we don't engage in religious discussions (with a few notable exceptions), and outside of praying before each meal we never engage in pray together.
Fast forward to Christmas 2009. Over 20 relatives are packed into my grandmother's house for Christmas brunch, white elephant gifts, and the main gift exchange. After the last "scheduled event" (the Christmas staple of everyone opening their presents) one of the family members spoke up saying that she had a prayer request. Everyone listened as she spoke about a specific problem that she was going through in her life, and she finished by asking that we keep her in our prayers. We all agreed that we would.
There was an awkward silence, and everyone turned back to their favorite gift from that morning; but my aunt had a different idea. "Well, we are all here, can we pray for you right now?"
Of course the Family-Member-In-Need said yes, and we all gathered around her and laid hands on her. Someone started a prayer and we in turn each added to the prayer. We didn't only pray for the one specific need, we also prayed for guidance in all of our lives, protection for family as they travel, and blessings on an out-of-state relative who had a child due in a few days. It was a beautiful moment in time when we all lifted our hearts and focused on God.
Out of all of the Christmases that I have had with my amazing relatives, out of all of the Easters and Thanksgivings and casual moments and cruises, the games we played, the late nights we spent talking, and the quiet times we shared; out of all of the times I have spent with family, this single moment is my favorite: When we got on our knees and laid hands on a loved one for God's protection, guidance, and healing.
I continue to pray that this is the last family member that needs this type of prayer, but I also pray that this is only the first of many times that we as a family join together in prayer to and worship of our amazing God.
Matthew
Don't get me wrong. Probably every person I am related to is a Christian (of one denomination or another). We all grew up Christian and we share the same beliefs.
But when we come together to celebrate holidays, birthdays, or just to hang out, we mostly leave our religion at the door. It is not that we start cussing and telling dirty jokes, we just don't bring our faith into our relationships. We never bring the entire extended family to one church on Sunday, we don't worship together, we don't engage in religious discussions (with a few notable exceptions), and outside of praying before each meal we never engage in pray together.
Fast forward to Christmas 2009. Over 20 relatives are packed into my grandmother's house for Christmas brunch, white elephant gifts, and the main gift exchange. After the last "scheduled event" (the Christmas staple of everyone opening their presents) one of the family members spoke up saying that she had a prayer request. Everyone listened as she spoke about a specific problem that she was going through in her life, and she finished by asking that we keep her in our prayers. We all agreed that we would.
There was an awkward silence, and everyone turned back to their favorite gift from that morning; but my aunt had a different idea. "Well, we are all here, can we pray for you right now?"
Of course the Family-Member-In-Need said yes, and we all gathered around her and laid hands on her. Someone started a prayer and we in turn each added to the prayer. We didn't only pray for the one specific need, we also prayed for guidance in all of our lives, protection for family as they travel, and blessings on an out-of-state relative who had a child due in a few days. It was a beautiful moment in time when we all lifted our hearts and focused on God.
Out of all of the Christmases that I have had with my amazing relatives, out of all of the Easters and Thanksgivings and casual moments and cruises, the games we played, the late nights we spent talking, and the quiet times we shared; out of all of the times I have spent with family, this single moment is my favorite: When we got on our knees and laid hands on a loved one for God's protection, guidance, and healing.
I continue to pray that this is the last family member that needs this type of prayer, but I also pray that this is only the first of many times that we as a family join together in prayer to and worship of our amazing God.
Matthew
Almost Mom's Taco Soup
Saturday, December 19, 2009
My first blog post in a long time is... a recipe? Yup. That's how good it is!
My roommate recently started making this, and it was so awesome I had to have a try at it. This is the recipe that I came up with. It is amazingly flavorful, and it makes a huge pot's worth. Also, I just found out that it is quite good cold, and I am sure that this recipe could be modified to make a nice cold bean dip.
Almost Mom's Taco Soup
(Note: The "Mom" in the title is not my mother, she is my roommate's mother. She created the original recipe, and this is my take on it. For the original recipe, see the bottom of this post.)
Ingredients
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
1 pat of butter
1 lb of ground sausage
1 can of kidney beans
1 can of black beans
2 cans of pinto beans
2 cans of corn
2 cans of Rotel diced tomatoes (of course I get the Hot variety)
2 packages of taco seasoning
1 package of ranch dressing mix
5 cups of water
salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste
Directions
Dice the onion as fine as you can, and saute it with the clove of garlic in a pat of butter. (You minced the garlic, right? Good, because throwing it in the pan whole would be strange.) When the onion is good and brown, throw in the sausage and heat until fully cooked. Drain (if needed).
Drain the beans and corn. (I don't rinse them so that they keep some of their sauce with them, but feel free to rinse if you like.) Put the rest of the ingredients in the pan (beans, corn, tomatoes, taco seasoning, ranch mix, and water). Season with salt, pepper, and lots of cayenne pepper.
Bring everything to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Enjoy with corn chips and sour cream. (Most normal people would also enjoy it with corn bread, but I am not normal as I don't like corn bread.)
Matthew
PS: For those new to my blog, check out my other recipes:
Almost Grandma's Chex Mix
Almost Kelling Family Minestrone Soup
Matthew's Cheesy Sausage and Rice
(Almost) Kelling Family Doritos Salad
PPS: Here is the original recipe, if you would rather try that version:
Mom's Taco Soup
I pour all the beans into the collander, rinse them, and let them drain.
Add whatever beans you want---just try for four cans.
INGREDIENTS:
3/4 pound lean ground beef
4 of any combination of pinto beans, kidney beans, black beans, red, northern
1 or 2 cans (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes-- see what looks good.
1 can corn, drained (or use frozen)
1 onion, finely diced
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix or homemade
1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix
DIRECTIONS:
Brown beef and add onion.
Add taco seasoning.
Add beans, corn, diced tomatoes and a bit of water.
Add taco mix and ranch dressing.
Let simmer for a few minutes and serve!
My roommate recently started making this, and it was so awesome I had to have a try at it. This is the recipe that I came up with. It is amazingly flavorful, and it makes a huge pot's worth. Also, I just found out that it is quite good cold, and I am sure that this recipe could be modified to make a nice cold bean dip.
Almost Mom's Taco Soup
(Note: The "Mom" in the title is not my mother, she is my roommate's mother. She created the original recipe, and this is my take on it. For the original recipe, see the bottom of this post.)
Ingredients
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
1 pat of butter
1 lb of ground sausage
1 can of kidney beans
1 can of black beans
2 cans of pinto beans
2 cans of corn
2 cans of Rotel diced tomatoes (of course I get the Hot variety)
2 packages of taco seasoning
1 package of ranch dressing mix
5 cups of water
salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste
Directions
Dice the onion as fine as you can, and saute it with the clove of garlic in a pat of butter. (You minced the garlic, right? Good, because throwing it in the pan whole would be strange.) When the onion is good and brown, throw in the sausage and heat until fully cooked. Drain (if needed).
Drain the beans and corn. (I don't rinse them so that they keep some of their sauce with them, but feel free to rinse if you like.) Put the rest of the ingredients in the pan (beans, corn, tomatoes, taco seasoning, ranch mix, and water). Season with salt, pepper, and lots of cayenne pepper.
Bring everything to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Enjoy with corn chips and sour cream. (Most normal people would also enjoy it with corn bread, but I am not normal as I don't like corn bread.)
Matthew
PS: For those new to my blog, check out my other recipes:
Almost Grandma's Chex Mix
Almost Kelling Family Minestrone Soup
Matthew's Cheesy Sausage and Rice
(Almost) Kelling Family Doritos Salad
PPS: Here is the original recipe, if you would rather try that version:
Mom's Taco Soup
I pour all the beans into the collander, rinse them, and let them drain.
Add whatever beans you want---just try for four cans.
INGREDIENTS:
3/4 pound lean ground beef
4 of any combination of pinto beans, kidney beans, black beans, red, northern
1 or 2 cans (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes-- see what looks good.
1 can corn, drained (or use frozen)
1 onion, finely diced
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix or homemade
1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix
DIRECTIONS:
Brown beef and add onion.
Add taco seasoning.
Add beans, corn, diced tomatoes and a bit of water.
Add taco mix and ranch dressing.
Let simmer for a few minutes and serve!
An update...
Sunday, October 11, 2009
For everyone following me on Twitter or Facebook: welcome to my blog!
For a while now I have joined my Twitter and Facebook page so that everything I say on Twitter gets forwarded to Facebook. But the more I explore both mediums I realize that each has a different group of friends for me: Twitter has mostly church techie people that I know or that follow me, and Facebook has more of my personal friends / people I know face to face.
So I have decided to stop forwarding ALL of my Twitter chat to Facebook. I will now segregate the two; personal posts I will put on Facebook, and church-related posts will be on Twitter. Sure, there will be a bit of bleed over, but in general this is the way I am going to try to keep it.
Of note: I do still have a way to directly post something from Twitter to Facebook. If I add the hashtag "#fb" to the end of a tweet, it will also update my Facebook status. So, if anyone sees "#fb" in any of my posts, just know that this means it is going to Twitter AND Facebook.
So, if there is anyone out there that follows me on Twitter but wants to know my personal side (of if you play Farmville), befriend me on Facebook. If you are my friend on Facebook but also want to see my techie side, follow me on Twitter. If you don't follow me at either place and have been refreshing my blog every day in hopes of me posting an update... then give me a call, we need to talk.
In all seriousness, I want to apologize to those people that follow my blog. I never intentionally stopped posting here, I just found a better and easier way of communicating on the internet (Facebook and Twitter). I simply haven't felt the need to update my blog when most people follow me on the FB or the TW. So really, if you don't follow me at either of those places, please do, because obviously you won't be seeing much of me online if you don't!
Matthew
For a while now I have joined my Twitter and Facebook page so that everything I say on Twitter gets forwarded to Facebook. But the more I explore both mediums I realize that each has a different group of friends for me: Twitter has mostly church techie people that I know or that follow me, and Facebook has more of my personal friends / people I know face to face.
So I have decided to stop forwarding ALL of my Twitter chat to Facebook. I will now segregate the two; personal posts I will put on Facebook, and church-related posts will be on Twitter. Sure, there will be a bit of bleed over, but in general this is the way I am going to try to keep it.
Of note: I do still have a way to directly post something from Twitter to Facebook. If I add the hashtag "#fb" to the end of a tweet, it will also update my Facebook status. So, if anyone sees "#fb" in any of my posts, just know that this means it is going to Twitter AND Facebook.
So, if there is anyone out there that follows me on Twitter but wants to know my personal side (of if you play Farmville), befriend me on Facebook. If you are my friend on Facebook but also want to see my techie side, follow me on Twitter. If you don't follow me at either place and have been refreshing my blog every day in hopes of me posting an update... then give me a call, we need to talk.
In all seriousness, I want to apologize to those people that follow my blog. I never intentionally stopped posting here, I just found a better and easier way of communicating on the internet (Facebook and Twitter). I simply haven't felt the need to update my blog when most people follow me on the FB or the TW. So really, if you don't follow me at either of those places, please do, because obviously you won't be seeing much of me online if you don't!
Matthew
"Just like a Star"
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Just like a star, if seen from afar,
My friends keep me company.
But fly more near and you will see, I fear,
That I am as alone as can be.
~Matthew Kelling
(Note: I wrote this almost exactly a year ago, August 26th, 2009.)
My friends keep me company.
But fly more near and you will see, I fear,
That I am as alone as can be.
~Matthew Kelling
(Note: I wrote this almost exactly a year ago, August 26th, 2009.)
Oh Dear!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Oh Dear, I hit a Deer! The lesson I learned from hitting a 6 point buck
The night of Thursday, August 20th, 2009, I was driving from Waco, Texas (where I was doing a job), to Bryan, Texas, to hang out with my best friend and throw his wife a surprise birthday party.
It was 2:30 AM and I was just getting to Bryan as I made the exit from Highway 6 to Texas Avenue (as per the directions from Google). As I made the exit I was decelerating (but I was still going a good 55 MPH) when I saw a deer appear on the left shoulder of the road.
My first thought was: "Oh cool, a deer on the side of the road." But I quickly saw that the deer was not standing still, he was headed for the middle of the road, and my thoughts quickly went to "I am going to hit this deer!"
I instantly reacted and did two things: I hit the breaks, and I hit the horn. I have no idea if hitting the horn scared the deer at all, but it didn't matter: there was no way I was going to miss it. As the deer ran across the road, the passenger side of my front grill hit it in it's rear quarters. I quickly brought my Jeep to a rest on the right side shoulder, and I turned on the hazard light and turned off the engine. I could hear large amounts of liquids draining from my engine, and I instantly knew I would not be driving away from this spot tonight.
I got out and surveyed the damage (link to photo). As you can see, the right side grill, lights, and bumper were gone, and my radiator had sprung a leak. I walked back and quickly found that there were pieces (some large and some small) all over the road. After getting the big pieces out of the road, I called my best friend to come pick me up (he lives only a few miles away).
(While the above photo link is open to the public, if you are a friend (or a friend of a friend) of mine on Facebook, you can check out my album with 23 photos here.)
While I was waiting for my friend, a truck pulled over and two college age guys came out to help. After saying "Wow, that's f#*&ed up!" like 20 times, they helped me push my Jeep further off of the road for safety. (At one point one of the guys threw a drink can into the grass. After they left, I stepped on it and fount it was a beer can... And I think it was the driver's drink!)
Anywho, they left, and after a short wait an NAPA delivery truck pulled over to a stop to see if I needed help right as my friend arrived on site. We all surveyed the damage, and the NAPA guy left. I then called Geico Emergency Services (I have tow insurance), and after joking around for a while with the guy on the phone, he told me that a tow truck would be there in 45 minutes.
On a side note: I have been very pleased with my Geico services. Everyone that I have talked to is very cheery, very nice, and very thorough. So far, they have an A+ rating from me!
The guy in the tow truck finally showed up, picked up my Jeep, and we were able to go home. Less than two hours after I ended the life of a poor deer, I was in my friend's home getting ready for bed. The next day (Friday) I called claims at Geico, within two hours a guy was looking at my Jeep, and a few hours later it was towed to a body shop. Later in the day my dad and step-mom drove in from Brenham (45 minutes away) and let me borrow his truck (it used to be mine). It is now my main mode of transportation until my Jeep if fixed.
[That is the end of the detailed account of what happened. Now begins my philosophical response to the situation.]
In the 24 hours since the accident, my mind keeps coming back to one thought: "What could I have done differently?" It is not reasonable to say that I could have taken a different route into town, because I had no idea that a deer would be lurking on that exit, just waiting for me to swing by. My timing, my route, my meeting with the deer was completely uncontrollable and inevitable; there was nothing I could do to change that.
But could I have acted differently once I saw the deer? At first (a few minutes after the accident) I thought "If only I had swerved, I might have missed it." But the more I thought about it, the more I realized: I was going 55 MPH at the time, and if I had swerved, there is a good chance that I would have swerved onto the shoulder, lost control of the vehicle, careened into the median, and started to barrel-roll... at FIFTY MILES PER HOUR! When you look at it that way, I will take my chances with hitting the deer!
So the more I think about it, the more I realize that there is absolutely nothing that I could have done to prevent me from hitting the deer. And to be honest, it is bugging me. It is in fact bugging me more than the $500 coming out of my pocket to cover the deductible. The thing that is bugging me the most is: I was not in control of this situation. Not to say that I lost control of my vehicle or that I was not in a good mind at the time, there is simply nothing that I could have done to make the situation any better.
And this is perturbing me! I like to be in control of everything that goes on in my life! I like to know what is going on, and when and where, and how things are going to happen. I control what I eat, when and where I go places, when I go to sleep and when I wake up, what I wear throughout the day, how I spend my money, even how often I brush my teeth. My life is the perfect example of a control freak living a controlling life. And I am not alone: most people are in full control of their lives. It is human (and very American) to be in control of one's life at all times.
But at 2:30 AM on August 20th, 2009, I no longer had control of my life. For that one instant, there was absolutely nothing that I could do to improve my life.
For whatever reason, if it be God or Satan or "nature" or just plain luck, I was destined to hit a deer that night. But, once you accept that I was going to hit a deer, things went amazingly well for me. I have insurance, so past my deductible everything is covered. While the car was beat up, there wasn't major damage to it. And most of all, I walked away from the accident perfectly healthy and safe.
But, for every thing that went perfect that night, there were ten things that could have gone wrong. I could have lost control of my vehicle. My airbags could have deployed, causing further damage and causing me to lose control of my Jeep. It could have been raining, causing not only the accident to be worse, but then I would have had to deal with a busted up car in the rain. I could have been in the middle of nowhere, instead of 5 miles from my destination. I could have had a passenger in the car. I could have hit the deer with the center of my car, causing the deer to flip up and crash into the windshield.
I could have died.
Of all of the things that could have gone wrong (past me hitting the deer), none of them happened. NONE! And they all refrained from happening with no help from me controlling my life! Every single thing that didn't happen was a gift from God! Every possible outcome outside of what happened would have been worse, and God saw that and created the situation to be the best outcome for me.
Romans 8:28 says And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. While I believe that this verse is often quoted for selfish reasons (IE: God will bless me simply because I am a Christian), I am absolutely certain that this verse describes how God worked in my life that night.
The night of August 20th, God worked for my good. He watched over me, he protected me, he loved me. And this is all absolutely separate from anything I could do. God knew that his plan was best for me, and while I couldn't see it at the time (and I quite possibly still don't), I know that God is working for my good. And while the worst feeling I have about this event is still "I was not in control", it is instantly covered with a feeling of "That's OK, God was in control".
So if I had to sum what I learned from this event in one sentence it is this: Sometimes we have to lose control so that God can show us that he is in control.
Matthew
The night of Thursday, August 20th, 2009, I was driving from Waco, Texas (where I was doing a job), to Bryan, Texas, to hang out with my best friend and throw his wife a surprise birthday party.
It was 2:30 AM and I was just getting to Bryan as I made the exit from Highway 6 to Texas Avenue (as per the directions from Google). As I made the exit I was decelerating (but I was still going a good 55 MPH) when I saw a deer appear on the left shoulder of the road.
My first thought was: "Oh cool, a deer on the side of the road." But I quickly saw that the deer was not standing still, he was headed for the middle of the road, and my thoughts quickly went to "I am going to hit this deer!"
I instantly reacted and did two things: I hit the breaks, and I hit the horn. I have no idea if hitting the horn scared the deer at all, but it didn't matter: there was no way I was going to miss it. As the deer ran across the road, the passenger side of my front grill hit it in it's rear quarters. I quickly brought my Jeep to a rest on the right side shoulder, and I turned on the hazard light and turned off the engine. I could hear large amounts of liquids draining from my engine, and I instantly knew I would not be driving away from this spot tonight.
I got out and surveyed the damage (link to photo). As you can see, the right side grill, lights, and bumper were gone, and my radiator had sprung a leak. I walked back and quickly found that there were pieces (some large and some small) all over the road. After getting the big pieces out of the road, I called my best friend to come pick me up (he lives only a few miles away).
(While the above photo link is open to the public, if you are a friend (or a friend of a friend) of mine on Facebook, you can check out my album with 23 photos here.)
While I was waiting for my friend, a truck pulled over and two college age guys came out to help. After saying "Wow, that's f#*&ed up!" like 20 times, they helped me push my Jeep further off of the road for safety. (At one point one of the guys threw a drink can into the grass. After they left, I stepped on it and fount it was a beer can... And I think it was the driver's drink!)
Anywho, they left, and after a short wait an NAPA delivery truck pulled over to a stop to see if I needed help right as my friend arrived on site. We all surveyed the damage, and the NAPA guy left. I then called Geico Emergency Services (I have tow insurance), and after joking around for a while with the guy on the phone, he told me that a tow truck would be there in 45 minutes.
On a side note: I have been very pleased with my Geico services. Everyone that I have talked to is very cheery, very nice, and very thorough. So far, they have an A+ rating from me!
The guy in the tow truck finally showed up, picked up my Jeep, and we were able to go home. Less than two hours after I ended the life of a poor deer, I was in my friend's home getting ready for bed. The next day (Friday) I called claims at Geico, within two hours a guy was looking at my Jeep, and a few hours later it was towed to a body shop. Later in the day my dad and step-mom drove in from Brenham (45 minutes away) and let me borrow his truck (it used to be mine). It is now my main mode of transportation until my Jeep if fixed.
[That is the end of the detailed account of what happened. Now begins my philosophical response to the situation.]
In the 24 hours since the accident, my mind keeps coming back to one thought: "What could I have done differently?" It is not reasonable to say that I could have taken a different route into town, because I had no idea that a deer would be lurking on that exit, just waiting for me to swing by. My timing, my route, my meeting with the deer was completely uncontrollable and inevitable; there was nothing I could do to change that.
But could I have acted differently once I saw the deer? At first (a few minutes after the accident) I thought "If only I had swerved, I might have missed it." But the more I thought about it, the more I realized: I was going 55 MPH at the time, and if I had swerved, there is a good chance that I would have swerved onto the shoulder, lost control of the vehicle, careened into the median, and started to barrel-roll... at FIFTY MILES PER HOUR! When you look at it that way, I will take my chances with hitting the deer!
So the more I think about it, the more I realize that there is absolutely nothing that I could have done to prevent me from hitting the deer. And to be honest, it is bugging me. It is in fact bugging me more than the $500 coming out of my pocket to cover the deductible. The thing that is bugging me the most is: I was not in control of this situation. Not to say that I lost control of my vehicle or that I was not in a good mind at the time, there is simply nothing that I could have done to make the situation any better.
And this is perturbing me! I like to be in control of everything that goes on in my life! I like to know what is going on, and when and where, and how things are going to happen. I control what I eat, when and where I go places, when I go to sleep and when I wake up, what I wear throughout the day, how I spend my money, even how often I brush my teeth. My life is the perfect example of a control freak living a controlling life. And I am not alone: most people are in full control of their lives. It is human (and very American) to be in control of one's life at all times.
But at 2:30 AM on August 20th, 2009, I no longer had control of my life. For that one instant, there was absolutely nothing that I could do to improve my life.
For whatever reason, if it be God or Satan or "nature" or just plain luck, I was destined to hit a deer that night. But, once you accept that I was going to hit a deer, things went amazingly well for me. I have insurance, so past my deductible everything is covered. While the car was beat up, there wasn't major damage to it. And most of all, I walked away from the accident perfectly healthy and safe.
But, for every thing that went perfect that night, there were ten things that could have gone wrong. I could have lost control of my vehicle. My airbags could have deployed, causing further damage and causing me to lose control of my Jeep. It could have been raining, causing not only the accident to be worse, but then I would have had to deal with a busted up car in the rain. I could have been in the middle of nowhere, instead of 5 miles from my destination. I could have had a passenger in the car. I could have hit the deer with the center of my car, causing the deer to flip up and crash into the windshield.
I could have died.
Of all of the things that could have gone wrong (past me hitting the deer), none of them happened. NONE! And they all refrained from happening with no help from me controlling my life! Every single thing that didn't happen was a gift from God! Every possible outcome outside of what happened would have been worse, and God saw that and created the situation to be the best outcome for me.
Romans 8:28 says And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. While I believe that this verse is often quoted for selfish reasons (IE: God will bless me simply because I am a Christian), I am absolutely certain that this verse describes how God worked in my life that night.
The night of August 20th, God worked for my good. He watched over me, he protected me, he loved me. And this is all absolutely separate from anything I could do. God knew that his plan was best for me, and while I couldn't see it at the time (and I quite possibly still don't), I know that God is working for my good. And while the worst feeling I have about this event is still "I was not in control", it is instantly covered with a feeling of "That's OK, God was in control".
So if I had to sum what I learned from this event in one sentence it is this: Sometimes we have to lose control so that God can show us that he is in control.
Matthew
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