Behind The Shack
The Shack was a story written for my six children, with no thought or intention to publish. It is as much a surprise to me as to anyone else that I am now an ‘author’. (William P. Young)
Last night I finished reading The Shack (You can read my review over at flannelgraph).
Currently (September 2009), The Shack is #2 on the NY Times bestselling paperbacks list. It debuted at #1 in mid 2008 and stayed at the top spot for 36 weeks. It has sold over 7 million copies and counting, and people are ranking it among Christan literary masterpieces like Pilgrim’s Progress.
Wow.
What not many people realise, is how the book became popular…
William P. Young wrote a story about his journey with God for his children. He gave it to his close friends to read, who all thought that the story was too significant not to publish. Problem was that no Christian publisher would take it on, saying it was ‘too controversial’, and no secular company would publish it due to it being ‘too Christian’. What did Young’s friends do? They started their own publishing company of course! Windblown Media was launched and $300 was spent marketing the book. Over 7 million copies later, the rest is now history.
Imagine the joy of Young and his friends (and their wonder of God). Imagine the tears of every publisher that turned down the rights to the book. Imagine the millions of lives this book has impacted.
If you haven’t already read this book (whether you have a faith in God or not), please do… it could quite possibly change your perspective of life.
(If you want to read more of the story behind The Shack, please visit William P. Young’s blog.)
The Goonies and the illusive Giant Octopus
Back in the day (1985 to be precise), Goonies paraphernalia came out months before the release date here in NZ. The ever popular (at the time) Goonies Bubblegum Cards contained a couple of shots of the Giant Octopus scene. So, if you were anything like I was in ’85 (and still am), I couldn’t contain my excitement as I awaited the movie to start. The movie started and ended, there was no sign of the awesome giant octopus, I was gutted and it tarnished my view of the movie forever.
To rub salt in my wounds, at the film’s conclusion, when Data (the same kid who was in Temple of Doom) is talking to the reporters, he says: “…Yeah, and the part with the octopus was really scary!”
I could have cried.
And now, thanks to the magic of Youtube, let me reveal to you, the deleted Giant Octopus scene in all it’s glory. 29 years later all I have to say (once again) is… “Meh.”
NZ’s very own giant man-eating bird
Those of us with a fascination for cryptozoology will be familiar with Americas ‘Thunderbird’ (giant man-eating) bird legend. Well, wouldn’t you know… I Came across an extremely interesting article in this week’s NZ Herald about New Zealand’s very own man-eating bird with a 3-meter wingspan and talons as big as tiger’s claws that terrorised the early Maori.
Now if that’s not worthy of a blog post, I don’t know what is.
The Maori Legend of the giant man-eating bird, Te Hokioi, is a legend no more. It is now believed by scientists to be the Haast’s Eagle that was discovered in swamp deposits by Sir Julius von Haast in the 1870s.
Haast’s eagle has until now, always been thought to be a scavenger because its bill was similar to a vulture’s, but a re-examination of skeletons using today’s technology shows it could easily deliver a killing blow as it dived at speeds of up to 80kph.
“They were certainly capable of swooping down and taking a child… and had the ability to not only strike with their talons but to close the talons and put them through quite solid objects such as a pelvis. It was designed as a killing machine.” says Paul Scofield, the curator of vertebrate zoology at the Canterbury Museum.
The eagle’s main prey would have been Moa, flightless birds which grew to as much as 250kg and 2.5 metres tall. Tragically, it is believed that once the Moa were exterminated by humans, the giant man-eater simply died out also.
Whippets 101
Yep. Whoever it was that coined the phrase “Dogs are a man’s best friend’ must have owned a Whippet.
Check out the clip below… it was one of the contributing factors in our decision to buy Narnia.
Flashback Friday
Anyway. The above pic was taken in early-mid 80s. and there are several things very wrong with it.
1. The stubbies
2. The shirt tucked into the stubbies
3. The bowl cut
4. The buck teeth
5. The bike bell
Can you spot anymore?
Symon.
Over and out.
old dunga house doer upper skills
Let me present you with before and after shots of our humble but happy bathroom…
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
Honey, does old-dunga-house-doer-upper-skills count?
…like I change my underwear
My wife says I change my mind like I change my underwear. I disagree… I change my undies everyday (sometimes twice). She wonders why I keep changing a perfectly good-looking blog. I guess I get bored easily… seeing the same layout everyday (sometimes twice). Besides, I enjoy the process of upgrading, learning new stuff, change etc.
Problem is, you can’t please everyone, and I have already received conflicting comments. For example… “Great layout!” and “Blue looks cheap, I liked your old one better”. Hmmmmm.
So, I put it out to you, my blog friends, to decide. Please post a comment and let me know if you like it or not, and why.
I may be tempted to change my mind… like I change my underwear.
Narnia and Me
1. Narnia was created by God to bring embarrassment to an otherwise happy life.
2. Narnia has almost an acre to herself but insists on visiting the neighbour’s properties and inviting herself into their houses.
3. Narnia get super-excited, jumpy and licky when she meets people who hate dogs.
4. Narnia can sit, lie down, speak, shake hands, and come on command… but only if she sees a treat in my hand, and then only when she feels like it.
5. Narnia is just now coming to terms with toilet training.
6. Narnia is in love with our cat Barney.
7. Narnia will jump on the sofa, stand an inch away from my ear, and bark until I play with her.
8. Narnia is a firm believer in the age-old addage, “If it can be chewed, it will be, or I will die trying.”
9. Narnia enjoys a bone in the sunshine, tied to the clothesline, until she gets bored and then she will bark continuously until she is brought inside.
10. Narnia’s shenanigans have prompted a visit from the SPCA, and a visit from a disgruntled neighbour.
I don’t think there is another human being alive who relates to ‘Marley and Me’ more than me.
