Half Armenian, Full Eagle
Backgammon is an amazing game that I enjoy play, so while I was in Armenia I found a handmade inlaid backgammon board. The board features Khor Virap with Mt. Ararat behind it. Since 2001 was the 1700th Anniversary of Armenia becoming a Christian nation, it displayed 301-2001 on the bottom right corner. The pieces of the game are of the 16 kings of Armenia.
If you are going to photoshop an image, you might want to triple check the image to make sure there are no oversights. Apparently this person did not because they missed the hand that is on Jessica’s right shoulder. In case you don’t get the “Thing” reference, it is from the Adams Family.
One of the greatest places that I visited on my trip was Khor Virap which was the “home” of St. Gregory the illuminator for 13 years as he was imprisoned in a pit by the king for being Christian. I was lucky enough to be able to go into the pit and see for myself what it was like. The church surrounding the pit was amazing and there was a lot of history that dated back thousands of years. I also watched as a sheep was sacrificed behind the church which was a sight that is very spiritual but very sad at the same time, but that is their culture.
The following two pictures were taken from inside the pit.
Stacy Fuson (left) and Lauren Anderson (right) are two of the anchors on Foxxy News and Foxxy Sports. They are parodies of Fox News/Sports except they actually have real content. I subscribe to the daily video podcasts which are amazing. Stacy was the Playboy’s Playmate of the Month for February 1999 and is still extremely hot. Lauren was the Playmate of the Month in July, 2002. Most of the anchors on Foxxy News/Sports are Playboy Playmates, Victoria’s Secret models and Maxim cover girls.
The following is Stacy Fuson’s review of the AL East 1/3 of the way through the season. This report was taken about a week ago when the Yankees were even further behind the Red Sox, however it is still good. I love how she first burps before speaking, amazing.
Michelle and Monica spoof PC and Mac ads with Red Sox and Yankees. Monica (Yankees Fan) is a horrible actress and it kind of ruins the video. Michelle (Red Sox fan) is hot and is more of a natural actress.
The following picture was taken of my host father and I in Armenia at their apartment building outside their apartment. The picture has not been altered but it is quite interesting how the shadow that is cast over his face makes him look very dark. My host parents were the nicest people I could have lived with.
I had a little issue with my host mother though, she kept giving me food. Now I know that doesn’t sound bad at all and it wasn’t, but when you have 4 plates full of food, you don’t want to eat too much since you are a guest. However, my host parents were feeling like they weren’t feeding me enough. So they didn’t feel bad, I ate until there was no more to eat and the food was amazing. It was a lot better than Armenian food cooked in America because of the difference in the quality of food. All of the meats and vegetables are fresh and amazing to eat.
One fact about the people of Armenia is that they have nothing, but they will give you everything. Armenia is a third world country but I plan to go back when I save some money.
I saw this video about 6 years ago and I absolutely love it because of how funny he is and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Note: I am idiot because I didn’t take a very good picture, but this was 6 years ago. I thought I was able to get the whole painting when I took the picture, but apparently not.
This is one of the best pieces of art work that I have ever seen and if I had enough money to ship it home, I would have bought it. This was our first day actually walking around Yerevan and I didn’t want to spend most of my money right away, but unfortunately we never got to go back to the marketplace.
Description: From the bottom left (not visible) are three candles; one bent, one broken and one standing tall. Behind the candles is a fence with a padlock on it which is in front of Mt. Ararat. The Armenian Cross has a halo behind it and three horns with blood dripping off of it. Finally there are stairs that lead up and then fade away into the sun.
The following is my interpretation of the painting
Analysis: The candles that are standing straight, bent and broken symbolize hope. The fence with the lock on it is the border between Turkey and Armenia since Turkey took over Mt. Ararat after the Armenian Genocide in 1915. The Turkish government does not let Armenians into that part of the country because many want to climb the mountain and that is why there is a lock on the fence. The Armenian Cross with the halo behind it symbolizes Armenia being the first Christian nation and its relationship with Jesus Christ. The horns with the blood dripping from it is also in reference to the Armenian Genocide since 1.5 million Armenians were exterminated. Finally the stairs symbolize a stairway to heaven.
Once all of the pieces are brought together, the painting symbolizes that no matter how little hope there was for Armenians after the Genocide and Turkey taking over Armenia’s biggest symbol, the Armenian people kept fighting, kept moving on and kept on believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. Their faith in themselves, their country and God will let them always keep a stairway to heaven in their hearts.
When my 1987 Jeep Wrangler caught on fire, I posted the article that was written about it. I just found my title and the registration which was in the Jeep at the time and is completely burned. It is amazing that it survived the fire but it did. I blacked out my address and the other personal information.
I just felt like proving that I actually owned the Jeep and that picture of my Jeep on fire wasn’t fake. (some people questioned it)
Over the next few weeks, I plan to blog about my trip to Armenia back in 2001. I finally had time to scan in some of my pictures from the trip and picked a bunch of them to write about. Enjoy!
Last summer Zach posted about me telling the story of how I fell off a mountain in Armenia and I am going to elaborate on that a little.
On July 1, 2001 we traveled to Mt. Aragats to visit the Byurakan Observatory. On our way up, we had lunch by Lake Kari and then had a snowball fight. After hours at the Observatory, we traveled to Amberd, a 7th century fortress and an 11th century church, where we were able to spend time in the church or on top of the fortress. It was an amazing experience being in a church that old and so secluded that there was only room in the church for a small group of people.
As we were starting to climb down from the fortress (below), I was thinking about so many different things that I wasn’t paying attention to the path down. Our group leader told us to be careful but being ignorant, I stated a quote from Boris in the James Bond movie GoldenEye, “I am invincible!” Just as I said that, my foot slipped on some mud and I slid down the side of the hill that the fortress was on. Trying to stop myself, I lost control and tumbled through the air and down the slope even further. Now there are times in your life when you know something bad is going to happen and you try to prevent it, so I tried. I slammed my hand into the ground to stop myself from rolling any further. When I finally stopped, 1/3 of my body was leaning over the edge of a cliff that dropped about 5,000 feet. It was one of the scariest moments of my life, but on a more positive note, I only sprained my wrist and got a few cuts and bruises.
Note: The last picture is close to where I was leaning over the cliff
When I was taken to the hospital, I was treated by an Armenian doctor who was not in any shape to help me. This hospital was not the best in Armenia to go to because the doctor had been drinking and did not follow any proper standards. He took the x-ray while someone else was in the room without a vest on, he tried to put my splint on backwards and I had to tell him Votch which means No, and he was very hostile when I told him I was in pain from his mistake.
Even though this adventure almost killed me, I am glad that I was able to learn from my mistake and was able to live to make more.
More stories and pictures to come soon!
Growing up there were some really great shows for kids, what happened. Even though Underdog debuted in 1964 and only went for 120 episodes, it was still syndicated when I was a kid and I loved it.
Series Description
‘Underdog was an anthropomorphic superhero parody of Superman and similar heroes with secret identities. The premise was that “humble and lovable” Shoeshine Boy, a cartoon dog, was in truth the superhero Underdog. George S. Irving narrated, and comedy actor Wally Cox provided the voices of both Underdog and Shoeshine Boy. When villains threatened, Shoeshine Boy ducked into a telephone booth where he transformed into the caped and costumed hero, destroying the booth in the process when his super powers were activated.’
Quotes:
The following is a clip from the TV series
Below is a trailer of the Underdog movie that is coming out this on August 3, 2007. There are a few problems with the movie that I have noticed. The first is that they did not do an animated dog or more like Scooby Doo or TNMT. Those adaptations to the movies were great, but I am not sure about this one. The other is in the cartoon, Underdog spoke in rhyme and it didn’t seem like that took that avenue in the movie which is a little disappointing. I know it is a children’s movie, but I am excited about seeing how it came out, so we will wait and see.
Movie Plot
‘A laboratory accident gives an ordinary beagle named Shoeshine Boy (voiced by Jason Lee) unparalleled superpowers, including the ability to speak with a human voice. He is soon befriended and adopted by a lonely 12-year-old boy named Jack (Alex Neuberger). The two develop an even greater bond when the boy learns of the dog’s incredible powers and secret identity as the crime-fighting pooch named Underdog. Dressed in his very own superhero outfit, Underdog flies over Capitol City, protecting its citizens from unforeseen tragedies and keeping a close eye in particular on a beautiful spaniel named “Sweet” Polly Purebred (voiced by Amy Adams). When the dastardly, mad scientist named Simon Barsinister (Peter Dinklage) and his overgrown henchman Cad (Patrick Warburton) threaten to destroy the city, Underdog, truly “man’s best friend,” may be the citizens’ only hope.’
