Today I Twittered this:

I don’t watch the news because people are paid to report it.

And my friend Collin asked me this:

Just out of curiosity where do you get your news?

I was going to quickly answer him, but, as the three of you that are actually reading this may already know, I’m not like that. Ask me what time it is, and I’ll tell you how to build a clock.

Collin, here is the answer to your question my friend:

OK- so this is going to sound weird outside of context. Twitter.

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Yesterday was MLKJr. Day. Did you notice?

Perhaps you did, but only when you walked to your mailbox and found nothing; or put your trash out in the morning, only to return home that evening with it not picked up; or when you went to the bank and nearly dislocated your arm trying to open the locked door. Don’t feel badly- I’m with you, the mail didn’t come yesterday for me either. So what do I, we, do in light of our “bliss”?

I’ve talked about my upbringing before (read it, it’s good). And I’d have to say that I’m still there. Every day.

Yesterday I read a post about MLK that came from a different angle. (Read that one too- so you have some context for my next sentence.)

And I think again. For, well- ever, I’ve seen MLKJr. Day as just an African American “thing”. And now I realize it’s more than just that.

Sweet. What about you?
~NickShoe

This is why music is the universal language (and laughter):

This took place at the Newark airport during the lock down after the security breech there.

Recently I traveled to The Frigid North with my family, and nothing reminds me how much I love traveling like spending more time in airports than I’d like to. (Of course I being sarcastic here; I love traveling, but road trips are better.)
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Undoubtedly you’ve seen or at least heard of the performance of “Pants On the Ground” by Gen. Larry Platt by now.

If you haven’t, please travel back in time and show Saddam Hussein the hole you were hiding in, he could have apparently used it. But I digress.

I’m not going to take up the bandwidth to include the American Idol clip if you haven’t seen it- mainly because I wanted to take it up with this:

So good. So fuh-nay. I really thought it was Neil Young at first! What about you?
~NickShoe

I and my family are in Wisconsin, The Frigid North as I call it, this week to visit her family and just take a break in general.

And we’re hear to think.
About what’s been.
About what’s now.
About what’s then.

I mentioned some time ago that there has been a shift in my life; and it’s becoming increasingly more clear that the shift was on purpose. Designed. Supposed to happen. OF and BY Abba Father.

And I pondered what was next.

I started my own business, It’s something I love. It’s been fun. It hasn’t been profitable- yet.

This week I had two meetings. And next week I have another. All great. All important. All with decisions. All DIFFERENT.

I covet your prayers with Amie and I as we talk, think, pray and decide on which one is for us.

~NickShoe

For any of you that watched the BSU win over TCU in the Fiesta Bowl- it was hopefully a great experience. For one individual that may not be the case. Chances are that you’ve heard of the BSU Cowbell Girl by now. But you probably didn’t know that she’s blind*. The sick part about this are idiots that forgot to think and started posting her picture and video everywhere. It’s shocking and sad.

So, congrats to all those that made fun of this person that has overcome undoubtedly great odds to be where they are- you are real wieners.

Now- that being said. My hope is that you would not propagate any of the You Tube video going around or the facebook fan page. That you would encourage those that are participating to stop.

My hat goes off to the young woman that played in the half-time show at the Fiesta Bowl for the Blue Thunder Marching Band.

~NickShoe

*SBNation
*BSU Photo
*Mashable

Taylor Swift. The mere mention of her name either gets an adoring comment or a look similar to that of someone that recently discovered the milk has gone sour.

But I’m not going to talk about Taylor Swift. I’m here to talk about talent- Miss Swift just happens to be my example for the discussion.
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A family friend of mine just posted the above for their Facebook status.

Here is my response and encouragement to them, as well as all of us today:

I agree, and a saying, albeit most likely cliche, comes to mind:
“Be the change you want to see in the world.”
For the Shoemakers (yes all 30+ of us) we no longer give gifts as a large group when we gather for Christmas Eve. Instead we’ve taken to a white elephant mug exchange. Find the most audacious mug you can (in your cupboard, @ the thrift store, et cetera) and bring it!
It was so much fun this evening playing Name That Tune Christmas Edition and seeing who would get the zaniest mug.
All that to say- we are with ya!

There ya have it. The UN-IMPORTANT parts of Christmas will continue until people make the change in THEIR OWN LIVES.

For me- this change has been somewhat forced, but welcomed none-the-less. As some of you may know, recently the decision was made to venture out on my own, and- honestly- I haven’t found much for income. Amie and I decided on the 22nd that we wouldn’t be able to “do Christmas” this year.

On the 23rd my bro-in-law text me and told me to keep the $100 in proceeds from my recent selling of some of his skate decks to Pangaea Boards.

So we will “have Christmas” exchange gifts this year after all. And you know what- this Christmas will have, and has already, meant more than any other.

Merry Christmas!

~NickShoe

Um. Yeah. Uh-mazing.
Church in a parking lot. I really don’t have anything to add. Carlos says it all.

~NickShoe

Amie just came in and asked me if I had heard that Brittany Murphy had died.

I hadn’t. I Googled it. I went to my Twitter home page and saw the trend. I clicked back over to the People article. Wow.

I went back to the trending topic. I was amazed. 406 tweets had gone out with ‘RIP Brittany Murphy’ in them in the time it took me to read the People article. Wow.

And my mind shot back to when MJ died this summer- how it shut Twitter (and the rest of the internet) down. How it essentially knocked the Iran elections off the Twitter trending block. Wow.

And then I thought about them. The ones Too Small to Ignore. The 197 children that have died since I started writing this post.* WOW.

For the next week a Compassion banner will be at the top on the site. I really want to encourage you to diligently consider sponsoring a child in need.

~NickShoe

*Source: Compassion Hunger Facts (PDF download link)