So it's official...

...I am over one of the longest periods of sickness ever in my life! I don't normally get sick that often, but I think when I do get sick, I make it worth it. Since Thursday the 17th, I've been feeling terrible. I didn't think I would ever get better and I was to the point of almost wielding a sledge hammer against my own face to relieve myself of this terrible feeling. But as of today, I feel good (not great, but good is a wonderful place to be).

...Team Business Time is registered for the local Call of Duty 4 Tournament at the Wakefield Play-n-Trade. I think we have a good chance of winning. My only fear is that we'll get pummelled by a group of 8 year old kids. The tourney is on June 1st, and if you want to come out and cheer us on, that'd be great! The team is: Me (Shamgar BN), BJ Walker (Reklaw JB), Aaron Ladd (BlueTick 26), Josh Kelly (Rohan Kelly), and Steve Mizell (Pain v2). Those are our Xbox GTs, so if you don't already play with us online, you're welcome to come find us and play!

...My running/Dieting/Weight-loss plan is going well. Even though I was sick this week, I am -10 lbs since a week ago today. I am behind in my running schedule, but that is understandable since it was hard enough to simply breathe properly through my nose for 10 days. If I keep this up, then maybe by summer, I won't be too ashamed to go to the beach sans shirt. Here's to hoping.

...Sarah and I have begun Spring gardening. Our apartment has a little garden area in front that has been overrun with ivy as long as we've lived here. We spent a while today ripping all that out and then tomorrow after church, Sarah is going to begin planting flowers. She tried to explain to me all the different types of flowers she'll be putting in, but honestly, they're just flowers to me. H. I realize that sounds like the ultimate "guy thing" to say. Oh well.

I'm sure there's more, I just can't think of anything else.

Love you guys!
Ben Niemann <><

Worldviews Gone Wild

So here's the deal... Expelled is the non-Evangelical approach to the issue of Intelligent Design in the world of science. Ben Stein does an incredible job of searching for some of the top scientists involved in the debate and journaling their response, both the good and the bad. What I liked about it was that Stein, who as far as I know is not an Evangelical, begs the question, 'Why aren't theories of Intelligent Design included in the debate about the origins of life?' He makes some thought provoking points, but the best one is that people haven't quite followed through the consequences of a Darwinian society to its end. People don't understand that in a world where man lives on the philosophy of "Survival of the fittest" and the "Will to power," the end result will be a very dark place.
Often, at least from what I can tell, the general public is willing to accept either the philosophical idea of survival of the fittest or the scientific evidence of evolution, but not both at once (at least not in either's pure form). At the point where both Darwinian evolution and Nietzschean ideology (which is one of the philosophical consequences) are allowed to be developed to full bloom, our society will probably see nothing short of another Hitler-esque figure rise to power.

Go see the movie! It is very good, worth the time and money spent!!

Oh yeah, the results are in...week one: -8!! That is a very good start!

Must see movie!

We watched Dan in Real Life a few days ago with our friends Wes and Laurie Couch and I have to say, it was a great movie! With Steve Carell in the lead, I definitely thought it was going to be a slapstick kind of movie. Turns out, it was actually a pretty serious movie. Very funny, but serious still. If you've not seen it, go rent it tonight!

A couple of things...

So last night the world witnessed one of the greatest basketball games of all time in the NCAA Championship game. The Kansas Jayhawks weren't in any way a dominant force, but they came out on top and celebrated a national championship! The best news for me is that I called it!! That's right, my bracket had KU winning the whole thing and it happened. I finished in the 99.5 percentile in the nation with my bracket and finished first place in the SEBTS challenge. I won a $50 gift certificate to Dick's Sporting Goods. I already know what I want to buy...

Which brings me to my second topic. I have come to the realization that I will be 30 before too much longer and it's time for me to start getting my health back in order. I am by no means obese, but I have put on at least 40 lbs. since high school. I have past the point where I can say it's muscle mass, so it's time to take action. I've been running and working out lately. My money is going to a Nike+ kit which will begin tracking my progress for me. It's a great idea from Nike and Apple (it goes with my iPod). If you've never heard of it, you should check it out.

So here's where I need your help. Any time you see me, talk to me, e-mail me, or whatever, ask me if I'm keeping up with my workout. I am a great starter, but I need help to stay motivated. I will start to chart my weight loss with a system of + or - for how much I've changed. So as of today, I will say I am at zero and then if I lose 5lbs, I'll call it -5. That way, I don't have to tell everyone my embarrassing body weight. I'll probably update that every time I post, since I usually post about once every week or two.

That's about it for now.
Peace,
Ben <><