28.4.04

Some Follow Ups

Recently I told you one of my ideas for cool shirt designs that have foreign phrases that would make the wearer look stupid. Well, I've found a guy on eBay who is selling some cool shirts, including this one and this one. And while we are talking about shirts, this gal also has a very creative idea regarding clothing for the workplace.

Oh, and while we are catching up on some previous posts, Der Iron Chef doesn't look like he is up for the challenge, but would rather continue to mock, in regards to my challenge in the post below this one.

And finally, a few weeks ago, I told you about a gorilla suit that had been donated to a homeless shelter. Well, I got an email the other day, informing me that the gorilla had been mistakenly included in a bunch of stuff to donate, and that they wanted it back. And I never got to really use it. Oh well.

Currently listening to: Mindy Smith - cover

27.4.04

Battle of the Bloggers

Alright folks, I've been dissed one to many times by the man who calls him self Der Iron Chef. It was one thing when he questioned my ethics and standards in regards to my stance on Starbucks, but then he has berated me because I give him eProps for every word he says. And for those who have seen the front page of my website, might find this post of his slightly interesting.

So what is a boy to do about this? I've decided a simple friendly challenge is in order. I will invite him to my house (or a neutral location if he wants) to have a battle of the bloggers. I'm still trying to figure out the basic contest style, but here is the idea I have for now. We would have five rounds where we would get five to ten minutes to post a blog entry on our respective sites. Each round's topic would be chosen by a third party who would also officiate the match. There could even be a lightening round, where we have to create a post using every word, topic, or suggestion tossed out by the official over a three to five minute period. Then after the posting is complete, we would give a predetermined amount of time for the general public to read and comment on the posts. We would then have some non-partial way of creating a poll of who was the winner of each round. The winner would have to win three of five rounds. The winner would then receive a free fish and chip dinner and one free post on the loser's blog to brag on their victory.

I personally am willing to step in the ring with the boy. I'm going to post a challenge to him on his site. If he is man enough to battle, he will comment below. Then the arrangements of time, location, and final rules will be set. So check back soon.

Currently listening to: Tears For Fears - cover

Here are the old comments.

25.4.04

Card Night

Occassionaly on Sunday nights a few friends come over for a few games of Euchre. Normally not much happens, with the exception of Herr Bah losing (except when we played against Claudia) and Drew laughing at pretty much everything. Well, tonight was a rare night. There was no full moon out, so we don't know what the explanation/excuse might be, but at one point Herr Bah decided he wanted to wear the lederhosen that was hanging on my wall. Thankfully my camera had juiced up batteries. So without any more words I present to you the photo that I highly recommend setting as your desktop background.



Currently listening to: Mindy Smith - cover

Here are the old comments.

24.4.04

Happy Freakin' Birthday

Ok, I'm not begging for pity, but this has to be one of the worst of the celebrations of my exit of the womb since some grade school memory that I probably have blocked out. Let me give you a run down of the day....

Slept in until 10, had breakfast, surfed the internet (found out I got more birthday wishes from complete strangers than friends - what a depressing social commentary about people wanting my business), went to a soccer match where I hung out with some of the RAs, including Bah and Beth, after the game I grabbed a donner pizza (which is a turkish style pizza, not one named after a famous party.) and went home. I've since watched a little bit of Tapeheads and have just popped in Karate Kid on the DVD player. Oh yea, my parents called and wished me a happy birthday. I guess that about sums up this glorious day.

Oh, and the following people have birthdays today.... Erich, Chipper Jones, Kelly Clarkson, Spin Doctor Aaron Comess, Barbra Streisand, Cedric the Entertainer and the last incarnation of Shirley MacLaine.

Currently watching: cover (I just got to where he is learning wax on, wax off.)

Here are the old comments.

Blogger Idol - Week 14 - My Picks

Well kids, it is that time again when Ryan goes surfing around the web and picks his favorite entries from this weeks blogger idol. So in no particluar order I give you my top four for the week...

1. Harmless Thoughts
2. Cliff Between the Lines
3. I Am What I Am
4. Tim Samoff

Be sure to check out all the other entries for this week by clicking the little button.
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Currently listening to: Sarah Harmer - cover

Here are the old comments.

I Can't Even Make This Stuff Up

So last night was an event at the school where various staff members went in disguise in Basel and the students had to find them for clues to solve a mystery. Well, as another staff member and I were hanging out incognito on the street with the main movie theaters, we decided to spend a part of the time having dinner at an asian food place called Mr. Wong. Well, she went and got her food first, so I could stay on the street so kids could see me. When she came back she handed me a coupon that she got for a free beverage. I then went in and got my food, and what I thought would be a free beverage, although the fine German print said only at their new location at the train station. When I handed the nice lady the coupon, not reading the fine print myself, she said "You have the wrong, Wong," which sounded way too funny with her accent.

I still am laughing thinking about that. Sometimes simple humor just kills me.

Currently listening to: Sarah Harmer - cover

21.4.04

Swiss Movie Perks

Ok, one of the joys of going to see a movie in Basel, Switzerland is assigned seating. Yes my friends, you not only get a ticket to the movie, but a specific seat. To me this is great as you don't have to worry about having your group broken up into multiple rows.

Another feature is the pause. Midway through the movie there is a ten minute pause that I'm still deciding if I fully like it or not. Sure it gives you a chance to take care of excess pressure that might have built up during the show, as well as discuss the first part of the film. But at the same time it does break up the film a little, and disrupts the flow to some extent. But then again, when seeing a 3-4 hour film, it does come in handy.

Finally they have a lot of advertisements before the movies, besides the trailers for upcoming films. Usually there is at least one that will just crack me up. Currently the one that kills me is called Murmeli. Although the other ad on this page is just as funny. Enjoy.

Last film I saw in Basel: Big Fish I saw it last week, and highly recommend buying/renting this if you live in the states when it comes out next week. If you are in Europe or elsewhere, catch it in the theaters.

Here are the old comments.

20.4.04

Now You Tell Me

Well, somewhere I went all wrong. See during college I spent my prime dating time working at a radio station trying to get somewhere in the industry. Then after college I spent part of my time working at a butcher shop, and let me tell you that smelling like ham twenty four hours a day does not attract the kind of women I was looking for. Then I decided to leave America and spend a few years on the mission field. Well, while there were a few ladies in my area, I was too busy doing the task at hand. Silly me. Heck, I even tried to make a step in the right direction by posting an online girlfriend application.

But tonight I discovered what could be a sure fire way to make sure that I don't spend too many lonely nights watching reruns of The A-Team. See according this guys article all I need is a hand puppet to meet women. (and by the looks of his photo, he knows how to meet the ladies.) So all you single guys, join me in making a sock puppet and lets bring in those chicks.

Who's with me?

Currently listening to: Elvis Costello - cover

Here are the old comments.

Another Stupid Web Quiz


See what amusement park ride you are.

Currently listening to: Dido - cover

Here are the old comments.

18.4.04

Blogger Idol - Week 14 - Spirituality

It is time for another entry into the Blogger Idol world. For those who want to know more about Blogger Idol, read the post below this one. Otherwise continue on, as this weeks' theme is "Spirituality," and as a professional Christian I know all about this one. Ha.

Actually I went to Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com to find out what the word officially means. They told me, "it is the state, quality, manner, or fact of being spiritual," and it is synonyms are "devotion, religion, psyche and holiness." Well, I guess if I had to sum it up, I would say, "it is having a mindset that is a little more heavenly than earthly." What does that mean? Well, after being paid to be a Christian role model for the last six years, I often have to laugh at that fact. Why? Well there are times where I sin, want it all for myself, could care less about others, or even doubt God in one manor or anther. But at the end of the day, to me, spirituality is having a mindset that it is not all about you, but that there is a God out there, and while sometime we don't understand the path that we are on, he knows exactly that path. Spirituality does not mean that you sell all and live in complete poverty (unless that is the path God has directed you to take), or that you walk around not enjoying life because everything has an evil connect somewhere, but it means enjoying the life that God has brought you, giving "mad props" to the one who gave it to you. Spirituality is doing things for others not to be praised but because it is the right thing to do.

Let me leave you with a quote by Rich Mullins on the subject:

"A lot of times we think something spiritual is happening and it is merely aesthetics. That is why it always bugs me at the end of a concert someone will say, 'Wow the Spirit really worked" and I kind of go, "How would you even be able to know that? It was so noisy in here tonight. How would you know if the Spirit was working?' 'Well, I was really moved.' Well, that is an emotional thing. That's not a spiritual thing. A spiritual thing is folding your clothes at the end of the day. A spiritual thing is making your bed. A spiritual thing is taking cookies to your neighbor that is shut in or raking their front lawn because they are too old to do it. That's spirituality. Getting a warm, oozy feeling about God is an emotional thing. There is nothing wrong with it. I think there is nothing more practical than real spirituality. But nothing more fun than just a good heartfelt emotional experience of God because I think emotions are good. They are only dangerous when we come away from an experience where we were emotionally manipulated and we confuse that with being convicted. I think conviction - there is an emotion that accompanies that but it certainly goes deeper than just coming away going, 'Oh isn't God neat? Two different worlds.'"

Be sure to check out all the other entries for this week by clicking the little button.
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Currently listening to: Mal Pope - Reunion of the Heart

Here are the old comments.

Blogger Idol - Before I Write This Weeks Entry....

Alright, many of you who read this blog on a regular basis know that I take part a weekly thing called Blogger Idol. For those of you who are not in the know, it basically is something that several bloggers take part where some Australian tosses out a theme for the week, and many respond to it. Several then will post their top picks of the week as a sort of a tip of the hat. There really is no competition, but just a fun way to connect to some other bloggers out there, as well as laugh and learn from them. There is a current poll to see if it should continue or not. I for one think it is a good thing. And before I submit an entry for this week, I want to challenge all those who read this blog to join in the fun. Especially some of you BFA folks, what you 'fraid of. So if you got a blog, head over to Blogger Idol. and join in the fun. Sure you'll be a little late, but that really doesn't mean anything. And if you don't have a blog, get one dang it, then join the fun.

Alright, now I will write my entry for the week. Interestingly enough, most of you will probably have read it already, as it will be above this due to the chronological order of life and blogs. Oh well, for those who don't see it above this post, come back soon for a good read.

Currently listening to: Mal Pope - Reunion of the Heart

17.4.04

Who Wants To Go For a Ride?

Ok, so I was checking some car rental places, just to see what it would cost to rent a sports car over here in Europe. I figure while I'm over here I should take advantage of the combination of high speed limits and beautiful countryside. As I have a German license, I have come up with a great idea. As the price of some of the cars is a bit much, I am willing to drive someone around in one of these cars, preferably the top one. All you have to do is contact me, and provide a check for the rental of the car. I'll pay for all gas costs during our trip. Sounds like a great deal right.

The sad thing is that the money I've spent on my last three cars would not even allow me to rent this car for a two hour period. Well, dare to dream.

Speaking of cars, I saw this car on the streets of Basel last night. It was surrounded by a model, some security guards, and a whole lot of po' guys dreaming of taking out the guards, having the model hop in the passenger seat, and laying some serious tracks on the pavement. Again, dare to dream.

Currently listening to: SWR3

Blogger Idol - Week 13 - My Picks

A big thanks to those who liked my post and included it into their top picks for the week. Here is my list of favs.

1. Harmless Thoughts
2. Bibbs Revenge
3. EyeCant
4. Lypton Village
5. I Am What I Am

Be sure to check out all the good blogging tips in the other entries for this week by clicking the little button.
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Currently listening to: Dashboard Confessional - cover

14.4.04

Drink Up Suckers

Recently a friend of mine challenged me on my anti-Starbucks stance. So I decided to do a little research to back my views up, and to stick it to the man. My misinformed friend thought that all of Starbucks coffee is fairly traded. Well, got news for the boy. In fact it appears that only one blend of coffee at Starbucks is fairly traded, according to their own website.

While I'm not a coffee drinker, (Chai tea latte with soy milk for me please) I still enjoy a good coffee shop. That is another one of the reasons I pass the Buck. During my travels in both Europe and America, I've encountered many great quaint coffee shops. Each one of them was unique in it own right. In fact, I rather enjoy venturing into a new cafe. But I have also found many people who want everything the same the world over. They want to know before they enter the shop what the color scheme will be, what the menu is, and even what the bathroom will look like. In some ways I say more power to these people, that will leave the cool cafes free for me and those like me.

But it makes you wonder, why do some many people like the Starbucks coffee? Well, according to a recent report it might have something to do with a chemical problem. The caffeine levels are much higher at Starbucks than any other coffee dealer. Thus once people get used to that fix, that just gotta have it.

In my opinion, in the end the only good thing they've got going for them is their music selections. But then again a coffee shop is not the place I usually go to buy music, listen to it perhaps, but to specifically buy it, no.

Currently listening to: Dashboard Confessional - cover

11.4.04

Blogger Idol - Week Thirteen - Blogger Tips


Hey kids, the theme this week is "Blogger Tips," if you didn't figure that out from the title. And thus, here are Ryan D Cordell's secret tips for blogging. Because they are proven secrets to my successful blogging career, I would ask that you tell no one of these. Also please destroy all evidence of this list after you read them, this might include your temporary internet files, your cache, and your computer. Come on, I can't have everyone tapping into this multi-billion dollar a year industry. So here you go....

1. Have a Blog - Sure it sounds too easy, but some people need to hear the basics. Might I suggest blogger.com or xanga.com?
2. Update It Regularly - If you have only one entry, like this guy, how can you expect people to keep coming back?
3. Get Connected - Join some webrings, blog portals (Blogs4God, blogarama, 2rss.com) , or other blogging events (Blogger Idol, The Truth Laid Bear Ecosystem) . The more you are a part of, the more chances people will actually visit your site. If your parents are the only ones who know about your blog, don't expect a lot of traffic.
4. Link To Others Blogs - If there are blogs you like, link to them. Hopefully they will link back. I like to use blogrolling to keep my list neat and orderly.
5. Make Comments - Some might tell you that this is cheap, but hey, I didn't make five million dollars blogging last year by not making comments.* While it is wise to leave positive comments when you like a post, putting weird, cryptic, or mysterious comments sometime work just as well. Consider it a easy way to get a link to your site.
6. Be Cool - Let's get real, most people with blogs are teenagers and geeks. And since we have all gone through adolescence, we all learned one common thing, "COOL PEOPLE ARE POPULAR." Deep down we all want to be popular, otherwise we woudn't have a blog, right? So when you are posting, try to be cooler than you are. If you are listening to The Very Best of Yanni, might I suggest you tell us you are spinning Damien Rice's O. I think you get the point.
7. Promote Your Blog Creatively - Sometimes online links alone will not work in getting traffic. Think up some other ways to drive people to your blog. Here are some of mine (feel free to use them, but only credit me on the legal ones): sell stuff with your web address on it,get a tattoo (or have your kid tattooed) with your link, pay somebody famous to promote your site, legally change your name to your web address or at least introduce yourself as "ryancordell.com" for example, if you know a serial killer, have him leave your web address at all the crime scenes - you get the idea.
8. Have an Occasional Contest - People like to win stuff. Give away stuff. Earlier this week I asked a question and gave away the chance to be mentioned in an upcoming blog entry. Well, Jeff answered the question correctly, and might actually get mentioned soon. In fact, if you are still reading this, the first person to answer the following question will have their blog or website mentioned in the future on my blog. The question - Ryan was part of the crowd on which one of these DVDs? (one guess per person - leave it in the comment section)
9. Have a Life - This is to remind you that you need to have more than a blog. Get out and enjoy the world, not to be able to report on some stupid blog, but because that is what it is out there for. Don't live to blog, live to live, blog to occupy a little bit of time in your life.

That will be all my tips for today. By the way, as for blog tips, I also accept them. Leave any tips here.

Be sure to check out all the other entries for this week by clicking the little button.
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Currently listening to: Granada - Let That Weight Slide Off Your Shoulders (or am I? see number 6 above)

Here are the old comments.

*I actually didn't make five million dollars by comment either, but it sounded good.

Happy Easter

He is Risen.

9.4.04

Another Birthday Idea

Well, if you are too cheap to buy me the Aquariass, and don't want to place an order for George Foreman's Inspirations, then how about you place an order for an Imaginary Girlfriend. Yep kids, you now can have that imaginary girlfriend you have always wanted. Are you the dork, like two of Anthony Michael Hall's characters, who has claimed he had a girlfriend in Canada. (I'll give extra points and a mention in a future blog entry to the first person who can name both the movies and characters names. - Extra points if you can name the general location in Canada)

And for all the ladies who are reading this, as I know the chicks dig this site, don't worry. While there is no Imaginary Boyfriend site, you can at least take advantage of your spare time and some pathetic guys out there, by applying to become an imaginary girlfriend. Heck, you can even make $30 or more dollars from it. Makes me almost want to lie about my gender. But then again ladies, if you are going to apply to be a girlfriend, there really is only one application you need to fill out online.

But then again this was all about my birthday gift wasn't it..... I'll also just take cold hard cash.And anyone who donates this way will also get some nice mention in a future blog entry (if they want to be mentioned.) Yes, I can be bought.

Currently watching: cover

Here are the old comments.

Who Buys This Stuff?

While looking over the Blogger Idol entries, I came across this blog, where they linked to the Aquariass. Now, if you haven't clicked the link for the Aquariass, you probably are wondering what in the world is this, let alone why would someone spend $800 for one of these? If you are a linguist, you probably have split the word up into Aqua and Riass, and wondered what in the heck is Riass? Or if you are like some of my friends, you split it up differently, which would give you a better idea of this fine product. For those too lazy to do a little link clicking with their little fingers, the product in question is a toilet aqaurium. Cool huh. Again, my birthday is coming soon....

Currently watching: cover

Blogger Idol - Week Twelve - My Picks


Well, here are my picks for my favorite entries from this weeks theme of "Birds of a Feather Flock Together." Again, because I missed last week, I'm tossing in a couple extra.

1. The Green Man
2. Bibbs Revenge
3. Tim Samoff
4. Cliff Between the Lines
5. Harmless Thoughts
6. Rambling Comments
7. Connexion

Be sure to check out all the other entries for this week by clicking the little button.
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Currently watching: cover

Here are the old comments.

7.4.04

Funny Tag Lines

Ok, I've had this idea for a few years about printing up shirts in foreign languages with phrases like, "I'm a stupid tourist," and "I'm a dork who paid way too much for this shirt." I've thought that people would buy them just because of the foreign words, especially if they would be in a langauge like Korean, Chineese, or any other artistic looking writing style.

Well, the folks at Tom Bihn, Inc. have taken the idea one step further, but putting a message in the washing instruction tags. Don't forget to check out the slideshow, it alone is worth the visit.

Currently watching: cover

Here are the old comments.

My Birthday Approaches

Will someone please order me a copy of George Foreman's Inspirations? According to the site:

"As two time former heavyweight champion of the world, Olympic gold medalist, revolutionary in the grilling industry and ordained Minister, GEORGE FOREMAN has done it all. Now George Brings inspirational messages of faith to the masses in a double CD package."

I must have this to add to my other CDs by famous people who in my opinion should have never released music like Jerry Springer, David Hasselhoff, Don Johnson, and Hulk Hogan.

Plus where else will you find songs of faith by three of my favorite artists Jim Nabors, Sandy Patty, and Lee Greenwood?


So please, please order me one of these. Time is running out in order to get it to me by my birthday.

Currently listening to: Shawn Mullins - cover

6.4.04

And You Thought I Was Joking...

I was having dinner with Drew, Bah, and Claudia the other night. The discussion hit the subject of the Bro or Mansiere, as discussed in Seinfeld episode 104. At that point, I tossed out the concept of MANties, not to mention the fact that they existed.

Just thought I would let you all know, in case you, the reader, was curious to both what missionaries discuss at dinner once in a while, or the latest news in the world of mens fashions.

Currently listening to: The Best of Traditional Irish Dance Music my free gift for spending over 50 Euro at Carroll's Irish Gift Store

The Next Step In Worship Bands

Well, we knew there would be a next movement in the worship music world. It appears the next step is moving to animatronics in a sort of Chucky Cheese meets God kind of way. I'm just surprised that this didn't happen sooner, as I've been in some churches where I thought that it was only a matter of time.

Currently listening to: The Best of Traditional Irish Dance Music my free gift for spending over 50 Euro at Carroll's Irish Gift Store

Here are the old comments.

5.4.04

ärgerlicher Telefonverkäufer

This is the rough translation (using babelfish) of who was at the other end of the telephone call today. Sure, I know that telemarketers abound in America, but today I got my first German telemarketing phone call. I guess one in six years is not bad. But the next one will suffer the consequences.

Currently watching to: cover

Weird Donations

Marge Simpson once said, "Dear God, if you spare this town from becoming a smoking hole in the ground, I'll try to be a better Christian. I don't know what I can do... ummm, oh, the next time there's a canned food drive, I'll give something the poor something they'd like instead of old lima beans and pumpkin mix." This quote makes me laugh, as I know many people who give the canned foods they bought but never would eat to charity food drives. But some lima beans are nothing compared to what I saw this last week.

See for those who actually follow this site, I was away in Ireland working with a group of students from my school. There we worked with a few youth clubs, did some painting at the mission, and spent some time helping sort clothes for a homeless shelter. While we were sorting we found a few things that made us laugh. Yes, we expected plenty of out of date and out of style clothing, but we never in our wildest dreams thought that we would find a gorilla suit. Yep, someone donated a full gorilla suit to a homeless shelter. Makes you wonder what was going through their mind. I mean what kind of person look at a gorilla suit in their closet, and say, "man I don't know if I'm going to use that anymore, I hope some needy person can make use of it." Well, either way, it was donated.

But the story doesn't end there. You will probably want to know where that gorilla suit will end up. Well, I can assure you that it is now in good hands, and located in Germany. See the people in charge of the clothing sort told us if we found anything we would like to keep, just to ask. Plus, it just fit me so well....



I'd be curious to see if anyone else out there has any other funny donation stories. Leave me a comment, and tell yours. Also, I've posted more photos from the trip on my site for all to see.

Currently watching to: cover

Here are the old comments.

Blogger Idol - Week Twelve - Birds of a Feather Flock Together


The theme of this weeks entries is "Birds of a Feather Flock Together." I toss out a photo I took last week along the Irish Sea near Howth, Ireland.

Hungry Birds Flock Together As Well


Be sure to check out the other entries for this week by clicking the little button.
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Currently watching to: cover

Here are the old comments.

Keep Your Stuff Safe

Need to keep your valuables safe? Check out the Brief Safe.

Currently watching to: cover

Here are the old comments.