:::. joshbrickey.com .:::

My Halloween Costume...

Thanks for all those who tried to guess my costume on here and on Facebook.  However, no one was able to guess correctly.  So without further ado, here is my costume for Fright Night 2008:  As inspired by a Geico commercial, a grown up Cabbage Patch Kid!

I have to admit, it took a lot of effort and work by 4 or 5 people (with Will Wright and Robin Hunt doing a TON of work with me), but we actually finished it.  The original plan was to make three Cabbage Patch Kids and Robin and Will would wear them as well.  The problem was, we majorly underestimated the art of paper mache.  It actually was really funny to see three dudes spending lots of time in the crafts department and trying to do paper mache.    

One other funny thing to note.  If we had made three, the plan was that one of the others would have been Asian and the other white.  You know...we wanna be politically correct and all.

Inside Scoop on my Halloween Costume...

Tomorrow night is "Fright Night" at youth, and for the first time ever, I'm making my own costume.  I will post pictures on Thursday, but here's a clue to what I'm making....here are the items I'm using to make it:

• Large plastic ball....the kind that you shoot into huge bins at Wal-Mart when you're not supposed to.
• Elmer's glue
• Newspaper
• Two wigs
• Hot glue
• 1 yard of brown, stretchy cloth
• Spray glue 
• Modeling clay
• Artist gesso 
• Clothing  
  

  Any guesses?

Random Link Love...

 

Wow...I've been out of town way too much over the last few weeks, but I'm back!  Just to catch you up on what's been going through my mind lately, I thought I'd share with you some links to things that have inspired, intrigued, or just simply made me laugh over the last few weeks.  

• These Leadership Quotes have really rocked my world.  What's sad is most churches and organizations don't really have the...ehem...um...guts to do anything about it.  
• This Video is one of the funniest videos I've seen this year.  
• I think Steven Furtick hit the nail on the head with this post. It sucks to be my fault, but often it is.
• Jesus is not only a friend of Sonseed (if you don't know who that is, watch this video , he apparently is also a friend of the David Crowder Band!
• Check out how to make a homemade butt crack detector.  I know some people that need to make one of these.  
• Absolutely loved this post about what people REALLY mean.  If you don't follow Perry Noble's blog, you're really missing out. 

  What has been on your radar lately?  Any interesting links?

Dominican Republic Thoughts and Pics

Our trip to the Dominican Republic went well! But...we are so happy to be back home. Here are some quick hits about it and some pictures:

* Patty adjusted over 200 people in two days!
* I learned that Hot Pockets is the official sponsor of Latin American Idol.
* Isaiah flirted with all the Dominican women. One even asked him if he wanted to go home with her. He's already a ladies man.
* Patty woke up in the middle of the night with a cockroach crawling on her.
* We met two guys from Haiti and it really impacted our life. I'm praying that one of them, Johnny, will email us. His story is something else, and I hope that we can somehow find a way to help him and his family.
* I didn't realize that Hatians were so looked down upon by the Dominican people.
* We couldn't put toilet paper in the toilets. You had to put your used toilet paper in a trash can next to the toilet.
* It was definitely an incredibly beautiful country from what we saw.
* Isaiah's favorite drink is the Bahama Mama (with no alcohol of course).
* It really put things in perspective for us. We are so blessed to be living in the U.S. and all of us don't need to take it for granted.

Isaiah's First Plane Trip

The fam on the beach

Drinking a Bahama Mama

The beach at our resort

Us with a Hatian name Johseph

Deep Thoughts by Josh Brickey....

1) You say..."Give 110 percent." I say..."You suck at math."

2) If I ask people to give 110 percent, am I setting them up for failure?

3) If I ask people to give 110 percent, am I setting unrealistic expectations?

Discuss.

Flashback to 2005...

So I found this website that archives content on the internet. If you go to this site, you can see what was on a lot of websites up to 10 years ago! Long story short, I looked up my site and found some posts that I had thought had been lost when I changed blog hosts. Anyways, here's a flashback to October 22, 2005. It's a post that I had written after going to a Byrnes football game called "Freddy and the Byrnes Game." As a side note, it was also right when Patty and I started dating and when Robin Hunt had just moved to the Upstate.

Tonight I went to see the infamous Byrnes Rebels beat the snot out of Dorman. The crowd was huge so we had to sit in the grass towards the endzone right in the midst of an interesting variety of people. Anyways, there was this dude that was sittin’ down in front of us that was going ballistic whenever Byrnes was doing something good. He would fling his arms around and give people high fives. SO….I decided that my the goal for the football game was to get a high five from this guy at some point before the game ended. I am pleased to announce to you that I got not only one, but TWO high fives from the man, who informed me later that his name was Freddy. I had no clue who the guy was before the game, but I started talkin’ to him cuz he seemed like a dude that would be interesting (that’s an understatement). After a while, Freddy was tellin’ me about how he played football (and two or three other sports) in high school, loved Nascar, and I heard countless stories about sports and life in general. It was hilarious!

Freddy is just another example of something that I have noticed lately. I’ve noticed that people generally will open themselves up to you and tell you about their life if you take the initiative and strike up a conversation. It has happened with me in so many places lately that I can’t help but sit back and think of the possibilities that could result if believers would invest themselves into the people around them. I’m not talking about a fleeting “hey…how are you” conversation, nor conversations that must include a gospel presentation. What I am talking about is breaking the ice with people and listening to their story. I’m talking about not seeing them as a target for conversion or for church membership but rather listening and interacting with them wherever they are in life. Heck…you can even (gasp) end your own masquerade and reveal who you really are to them (but that’s a whole other topic).

By the end of the night, I felt as if I had made a real connection with Freddy and with some other people that were with him. I listened to their stories, laughed with them, exchanged high fives, and genuinely had a good time. And to think, I would have missed out on all of that if the ice hadn’t been broken. Just somethin’ to think about.

Ten Signs that you're a Facebook (or Myspace) Whore- Part Four

This is part four of an ongoing series on the blog. Make sure to check out Part One, Part Two, and Part Three.

9) The Underwear Shot- Underwear is the new outerwear. There have been lots of pictures posted on social networking sites of people in their underwear. Often paired with the "mirror shot", the "underwear shot" loves to show off what once was considered sacred. The underwear of choice is often the boy cut underwear, whether on a boy or a girl. Girls may even choose to show off their latest Victoria's Secret purchase, or guys may unveil the boxer briefs (and abs). It's a new twist to the saying...make sure you're wearing clean underwear...just in case someone sees your picture on Facebook or MySpace.

10) The Bits Showoff (a.k.a. "The Cleavage Shot)- One of the most popular shots of the Facebook and MySpace whores is the Cleavage Shot. Starting about as early as they develop, girls are posting more and more pics that reveal part of their breasts. Typically a self shooter, these girls seem to feel as if they must put one arm above their head and take a picture at a downward angle. Of course, this shot must also include a tank top, a loose fitting shirt, or simply a bra (because the bra wasn't revealing enough). The most ambitious of the Bits Showoff skanks also love to notify their friends that they have new pictures and that they REALLY want you to offer them some "comment love," although "comment lust" would be more grammatically correct. Fortunately, guys have not personally embraced this trend as much, despite the fact that a lot of them are developing large breasts while spending so much time with video games and the internet.

Just to let you know, this will not be the last you see of the "Facebook/Myspace whore" series. I have at least a few more blogs in the works in regards to it, so make sure you check back often!

Ten Signs that you're a Facebook (or Myspace) Whore- Part Three

This is part of an ongoing series on the blog. Make sure to check out Part One and Part Two.

7) The Katy Perry Shot (aka The "I kissed a girl and I like it" shot")- There is this phenomenon that is ever increasing in popularity amongst younger people. It is the tendency to post a picture of a girl kissing another girl. Spurred on by a society that encourages youth to explore the "bi-curious," the pattern usually starts out with an "innocent" picture of a girl kissing a girl on the cheek. It then progresses to the make out picture (once again, often paired with a Solo cup in hand), or even the "kiss the cleavage" shot. What's interesting to note is that you really don't see guys kissing other guys, because "that's just gay." One final note, this is occasionally accompanied with the "Boob Grab Shot."

8) The "I’m in a bikini, so I have to pose seductively" Shot- Buying a bathing suit that is skimpy and doesn't leave much to the imagination? $80. Positioning your body to reveal as much as possible without being totally naked for the camera? $5 to put batteries in the camera. Posting slutty pictures online of your bikini, softcore porn self that will haunt you for the rest of your life? Priceless. There are some things that money can't buy...like innocence, purity, and respect for yourself. For everything else there's MySpace.

Check back tomorrow for the final two on the list! You can leave comments below by clicking on "comments."

Ten Signs that you're a Facebook (or Myspace) Whore- Part Two

Continuing this post from yesterday:

4) The Boob Grab Shot- A lot of girls apparently see nothing wrong with having a picture of someone grabbing their boobs being posted online. Sometimes it is a picture of them grabbing their own boobs, while other times it is a girl or a guy grabbing them. When the latter happens they usually have a (fake) look of shock or embarrassment on their face. It seems that everyone in the picture has a cup in their hands, whether it be a bra cup or a red or blue plastic cup(Although a bottle of alcohol is sometimes substituted for the red or blue plastic cups). As one final note, guys may have pictures grabbing their own boobs or chest. This is a sure sign that you're an idiot and you will never get a date.

5) The Tanline Shot- It is not unusual in our culture to want to have a tan. What is odd (and a definite sign that you are a Facebook/Myspace whore) is when you want to show off both your tan and the areas that are still cracker white. The most common skanky "tanline shots" on Facebook are the "pull my bikini bottoms down to show off my tanline" shot, the "slide part of my top over to tease people" shot, or the ever popular, "I have a playboy bunny from the tanning bed" shot. 'Cuz nothing says "classy" quite like Playboy.

6) The Status Update or Mood Ho- Status Updates are definitely intriguing. You can let people know what you're up to and how you're feeling at any moment of the day. However, the Status Update Ho and Mood Ho feel as if they have to share T-M-I. The Status Update Ho can be found on both Facebook and MySpace. We can learn about how they are "getting drunk," "feeling lucky," and so on. The "Mood Ho" is typically on MySpace, where they can let us know how they're feeling. I have seen numerous teens let the world know that they are "feeling horny" at a given moment. Word of advice....You better be careful flaunting that you're "feeling horny" because you may end up feeling used, itchy, or pregnant (or all the above).

Okay...I have had hundreds of hits for these posts and only two comments. Have you experienced these things online? Leave a comment by clicking "comments" below."

Ten Signs that you're a Facebook (or Myspace) Whore- Part One

WARNING- This series of blog posts may be offensive to some readers. For some, you may need to wake up and smell the coffee. For others, you fit one of the signs mentioned below. Just as a reminder, you posted it online for the whole world to see...remember that next time before you post something online.

I have noticed a disturbing trend over the past few years. Teenagers (and adults alike) have used a social networking site like Facebook or Myspace to post images and comments that are incredibly inappropriate. What's crazy is that they see absolutely nothing wrong with it and don't realize that it reveals the true character of the person. It's a new breed of skank.

Based on actual pictures and such from people that I actually know, I've come up with "Ten Signs that You're a Facebook Whore." So without further ado...here are the first few:

1) The Slutty Mirror Shot- This is probably the most famous of the skanky pics. For some reason, people love to take a picture of themselves in the mirror. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that part. However, for some other strange reason, they often feel as if they must be scantily clothed or seductive in the process. Many also love to show off their curves by doing a side profile picture or a "wearing nothing but a towel" picture. The most common mirrors of choice are the bathroom mirror or the full length mirror in the bedroom.

2) The "Look at my Abs" Shot- Guys and girls love to show off their stomach. Guys love to show them off and make sure that the top 1/3 of their boxers or briefs are showing, while girls typically fold over their waistband of their shorts as they lift their shirt up (Because you obviously can't show off your abs without showing off your legs or the bottom of your bra at the same time). It must be noted, that girls that are unbelievably tiny or fit also have to add the caption "I'm so fat" to the picture, so that people will respond with comments to their picture. Most often, this is also a slutty mirror shot.

3) The Comment Hussy- As mentioned above, people oftentimes leave comments in response to the pictures. Guys lead the charge in this role, because they love to tell a girl how fine they are, how much they would love to "hook up wit u," or how they would like to "tap that." Girls aren't immune to leaving the comments, and often leave flirty or suggestive comments to their friends. It's also interesting to see how many ways "sexy" can be spelled.

Check back for part two tomorrow! As always, feel free to leave comments below by clicking on the word "comments."