Paul Swaim

Kid on the End of the Bench

pmswaim — Sun, 01 May 2011 15:29:05 +0000

I played baseball in high school for one year. I was a late bloomer, really, but I could run crazy fast. At tryouts, I didn’t do great, but I kept my attitude positive and encouraged as many as I could. When it came time for the portion of the tryout where they timed players’ ability to run the 90 feet between bases, there was only one player who ran it faster than me (by .1 second). The same player was the only one faster in the full home-run time (also by .1 second). They gave me a spot on the team, but I was a filler position, pinch running or pinch hitting at most. I was *thrilled*. I mainly spent my time hanging on chain link and shouting encouragements, coaching bases, relaying instructions, enjoying full practices. Later on, the coach gave me a framed poem called “The Kid on the End of the Bench”, listed here.

I still have the poem in a chest at home. I think about it when I feel awkward, unfit, or under-qualified for something. I realize that I don’t care; I’m God’s man, fearfully and wonderfully made. He’s got work for me to do at my best, either by word or by example. It isn’t easy, but I’m part of a great team.

Tron Reloaded

pmswaim — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 07:36:04 +0000

Having just watched Tron, I hopped over to rottentomatoes.com to see what the consensus was on the film. Critics hit it with a 48%, while viewers held a solid 81% opinion. Typical for movies of its kind. I didn’t think the plot to be anything amazing, yet I was there for the nostalgia of the original unashamed 80′s film. It did the old Tron justice. Not intending to write anything into Tron that wasn’t there, my mind did wander on a line that spoke of how the creators of the digital world were seeking perfection, missing something that was right in front of them all along. While the film likely did not intend this to be a religious commentary as my mind saw it, I think they hit home with how the world often interacts with God. Many people think God to be unloving or unkind because their lives are not perfect here, as if the presence of food or a warm body to hold determines the quality or existence of God. We seek to make our lives the best they can be, when in all reality this world is a guarantee of imperfection as we learn what it means to be part of real love. I’m not talking about love as media shows it, a take-it-how-you-can-get-it mentality. I’m talking about love that exists as a free choice to place another before one’s self. We can seek out a perfect existence on earth our whole lives, yet miss the perfection that is the moment when one of us discovers God and chooses to be His. God IS love.

Sappy? I don’t care. Writing too much into Tron? Yes. Defending real love in a world that makes it cheaper every day? Most definitely. Trying not to make it cheaper myself? Yeah, that too.

Chevy Volt Time Lapse

pmswaim — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 07:34:49 +0000

I don’t want one of these cars, but I like time lapse videos. A Chevy Volt made in minutes. Man, I’d hate to work on an assembly line. Unless they had unlimited fresh Red Vines. I might be able to cope, then.

Medicine

pmswaim — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 06:40:19 +0000

I love the Hayden Family Physicians medical practice. It is good to be cared for, in a real way, not just as a patient but as a person. I usually dread going to any medical or dental office, but not theirs.

Diapers + Gaming = Bad Juju

pmswaim — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 06:00:23 +0000

Via makeuseof, I saw this link and it made me laugh. An adult diaper with a “frequently bought together” deal including the PC game Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. This has to have been manipulated by Amazon customers somehow. That’s some extreme gaming. You can love your games, just don’t looooooove your games.

http://www.amazon.com/Adult-Reusable-Cotton-Poly-Diaper/dp/B000BF5JFK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1291096629&sr=8-1

Epic Cat Fight

pmswaim — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 06:20:52 +0000

Wow. Right place, right time with camera. I’m not sure which is more scary, the cats or the birds!

Fun to watch fire

pmswaim — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 04:01:41 +0000

Why is fire such a fun thing to watch. Is it the randomness of its path as it burns? Caught this off BoingBoing.

Snow Days

pmswaim — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 07:33:09 +0000

My children beg for snow days, especially my daughter. While I am humbled by the idea that they think I have some input into whether or not they get to stay home from school due to snow, it becomes irksome to field all the questions. “Dad, how much snow is required to close school?”, “If they close the college, do we get to be closed, too?”, “Can I go out and measure the snow?” The constant barrage has let up since we’ve been off for Thanksgiving break, and we did get to measure the snow by seeing how many snowballs we could make.

Black Friday

pmswaim — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 06:41:44 +0000

A woman, likely in her late 70′s, once shoved me aside to get at a $5 movie bin at Walmart. She had superhuman strength (for an elderly woman). This is why I don’t go out on Black Fridays. Oh, and I don’t have money to spend on stuff, but that is ok. I have plenty of stuff.

Wearing It

pmswaim — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 07:38:51 +0000

I like t-shirts, especially ones that say something or cause general confusion/pondering. I own a few of these, but I found a few others I might pick up in the near future.

“in it, not of it”

Isaiah 40:31

2.1 Billion Like This

Eat. Sleep. Jesus.

Love your neighbor as yourself.

Guard your heart (like a ninja)

Reborn

Pick Jesus