Moving again

You can now find me at paulhaugen.wordpress.com We're going to run this blog through our website and you can't do that from typepad. sorry!

I'm moving

well at least my blog is. You can find all the wonders of this little blog and many more upgrades at paulhaugen.typepad.com please change your links and come check it out. I'm still working out some design stuff, so be patient as it looks kind of plain now, but it'll get better for sure.

When Jenn and I were searching for a church to hire me, we spent 10 months learning what we were looking for. We felt like we wanted to be in a place where we could be involved in other areas of ministry in addition to music and in particular, we wanted to be involved in missions. Well ask and you shall receive I suppose because now, Jenn and I are going, with 10 other people from our church to the horn of Africa. In January we're taking off for two weeks and helping missionsaries that are already there impact the lives of the people there. It's really exciting. Perhaps the coolest part of this whole thing is that a bulk of the team is made up of people from our Worship and Arts department here at the church. Three of the guys from the band and two singers are going which is incredibly exciting. Because of the make up of the team, the name of our trip is "Rock the Horn '08." I'm pretty excited about it so I thought I'd share the logo with you, which was designed by one of the guys on the team, named Justin. We've got a long way to go with support raising and preparing spiritually and culturally, but it's going to be an exciting time for sure!

Chick fight wii style

So Friday night, Jenn and I got to hang out with our friends Micah and Erica. We hit up the Olive Garden, had some laughs and then went back to their place to, of all things, play video games. Micah and Erica just bought a wii and so we went to check it out. You must understand that my wife is not a video game player. She doesn't get, doesn't do it and has never had an interest...until now. We boxed, bowled, tennised and raced all night having a great time. Check out what happens when my wife and Erica go toe to toe on wii boxing.

Internet People

So I saw this video today about people made famous by the Internet. I'm not sure what's worse; that there are this many people who have garnered notoriety by sitting in front of a web cam, or that I actually get a majority of these references.

Actor turned Pastor?

Did you guys know taht Joel Osteen was in Captain Ron?

I love Wednesdays

My weekly schedule is a little different than most. I work Wednesday through Sunday and take Monday and Tuesday off. Generally speaking it's pretty nice. Every Monday and Tuesday I can soak in two full days off and get to do things around the house without having all of the "Saturday" things to do. I can have dinner ready for Jenn when she gets home (sometimes) and I can do things like rearrange our bedroom. All-day projects aren't really possible for me on a Saturday when it's the one day I have between Friday and Sunday to get things done, so my schedule works out pretty well. The only bummer has been that Wednesday, my first day back was meeting day. Starting at 9:30 and going almost non-stop until 3:00 I would be in meetings. It would be possible for me to come in on a Wednesday and not be able to sit down and work in my office until 3:00! So, today, I am basking in the glory of having no meetings. We've changed around the schedule so that our meetings are on Thursdays which allows me the freedom to get settled into the week and actually prepare ahead of time for things like choir practice, band practice or this Sunday. As I'm typing this, I have just become aware that I am talking about how great it is that no meetings on Wednesday allows me to work and I'm using it to blog. Maybe that means I ought to get back to work.

Clara and Nora

Some of you may know, but my sister, Alison, and her husband, Craig, recently had twin girls. So I wanted to introduce you all to my two new nieces, Clara and Nora. We got to hang out with the whole family over Labor Day and these two are pretty awesome. I mean they don't do tricks or anything, but I'm pretty sure they're geniouses. Problem runs in the family.

Ok...I'm back

So after two months and change, I am feeling bloggy again. Now, there are some of you who were, let's say, pleasantly persistent, asking me to post again; Well, here you go. I'd like to point out some changes in this here blog, as I've been doing a little house cleaning. You'll notice that I'm focused a little more on linkage now. If you read this thing, I'd love to know it and be able to link you. If you go to Clovis Hills, then I definetely want to know about it so I can put you on here! I won't make any promises, like I have in the past, about my posting activity. What I will do is say that I've enjoyed the break and am excited to be a regular blogger again. You can look for some new elements to my little corner of the blogging world that will, hopefully make you want to stop by on a regular basis!

I have overdosed on the internet

Okay, so I used to only check my email. It was a beautiful thing. I would go on, listen to the little hums and blips of my dial-up connection, log into my account (I used Juno back in the day. Remember Juno?), check my mail and be done with it. All was right with the world. Somewhere between then (circa 1999) and now the internet has spun out of control and it has become just a little daunting. first I got into blogging and I had to link to everyone and have them link to me. Much of my day was spent figuring out how to drive traffic to my site so that people could hear (or read) my unique voice in the blogosphere. Since "content drives readership," though much of my blog has been relegated to videos I find on youtube or the occasional random piece of clip art. That's not enough though, because now I'm also balancing myspace and facebook, trying to mangae my top 8, poke, tag, and write on walls all while actually getting some work done. So here's the deal. For the next couple of weeks, while we prepare for our new website to launch (www.clovishills.com), I will be revamping, downsizing and stepping away from the wacky world of social networking. When I come back (hopefully the new site launches the beginning of July) I will have a blog geared toward Clovis Hills peeps. Hopefullly it'll be a place where people can get to know some of our musicians and me a little bit better so they feel like they know us when they walk in the church rather than just seeing us on stage. I'll be posting with my boss on a regular basis (it'll be in my schedule, probably 2-3 times a week) and while it will still have room for the random stuff that happens in my life, it will be mostly focused on worship. I think that's the stuff I want to talk about; what worship is, who I am as a worship leader and regular joe and who some of the volunteers are that make this thing go. I'm hoping to include video, more photos and a few surprises here and there. So I'll see you in a couple of weeks! Before I leave though, let me leave you with this little video that may help you better understand how I've been feeling. Enjoy!

Crazy times keep gettin' crazier

So this weekend has been insane. On Saturday we had a party to celebrate my mom being Breast Cancer free for 5 years. It was a big day. We called it the pink party, so everyone, including myself wore pink. I know what you're thinking; "Paul, how can someone as cool as you rock a pink shirt?" Well don't worry dear friends, I did and it looked sweet. Okay, anyway. The party was up in Oakhurst and was crazy with family from all over the country, and friends. My sister, Alison was the brains of the operation and her and Jenn threw down a pretty sweet get together. My brother did a video slideshow (made on a mac, thank you very much) and I wrote a song and sang it for my mom. All in all I'd say we're pretty fantastic kids. If that wasn't enough we had church on Sunday where a transformer blew at the start of 2nd service. The power was down for only a couple minutes as our crack technical team rolled right through, but it was long enough to make things awkward, as Kimberly and I tried to yell from the stage to keep people entertained. After church we had a rehearsal for next week's service, because I'll be gone all week in Chicago at the Willow Creek Arts Conference. Today I went over to Dana's and laid down some vocals for a song we're working on for our upcoming "Heroes" series. Now I'm helping Jenn get ready for summer school, sending out a few last minute emails and trying to find time to pack for a few days in Chi-town. Oh the insanity! This summer is going to be pretty break-neck as well with rolling out some vision for the fall (music wise), recording, conferences, a much needed vacation and two series where our pastor will be gone. I think I need a nap.

Lance Armstrong is a Weenie

Okay, no he's not, but that was the most clever title I could come up with to talk about riding my bike to work. I'm finding that when I ride in the morning it's a pretty sweet time to prepare for the day. I haven't quite figured out that whole focusing and thinking about specific things, because truth be told much of the time I'm thinking how much easier it would be to drive, but I turn on the iPod, rock some tunes and cruise. I think I like it so much, not because it gives me time to think about stuff, but because it gives me a period of time where I can think about nothing other than pedaling and the occasional bit of traffic. I've often struggeled with finding time to turn the world off and the 6 miles to work and 6 miles back give me the time to do that. So before and after work my only problems are the sweat on my forehead and the pain in my booty.

My new favorite thing

Saturday Night Live used to be incredibly funny. Back in the day (as the kiddies say), with guys like Will Ferrell, Chris Farley, and Mike Meyers, it was the best thing on TV. Over the past couple of years I have been pretty unimpressed until Dana showed me Deep House Dish. If you haven't seen it, you should spend all summer getting caught up on it, because it is pretty much my new favorite thing. Enjoy!

this is my 100th post

I know some of you veteran bloggers may scoff at a measley 100 posts. You may think that to only post 100 times in about a year is pitiful. "It's barely twice a week." you may say, or you might quip, "How can you be serious about blogging and it take you this long to hit the magic 100?" Well it was hard for me so BACK OFF!! Anyway, I was just about to write and check in since it has been a ridiculous amount of time since I blogged last and then blogger notified me that I have written 99 posts making this one number 100. Man that was a long messy sentence. 100 blogs is a big deal I think. I started this thing about a year ago and have been reasonably faithful to it, which if you know me is a big deal (I'm a good starter, not a good finisher). I've been learning a lot about myself this year along these lines; finishing things. I've been reasonably successful at accomplishing some of my goals this year and would like to continue that process. Here's what's on tap. You all can help keep me accountable. 1)I am stuck (still on 40 pounds lost). I go back and forth between feeling really good about it and feeling like I could have been a lot farther. No more guilt though, I'm back on the wagon. It was this time last year that I started this crazy little weight loss game and I aim to finish it. 2) I am going to run in the race for the cure in Fresno in October. It's a 5k which shouldn't be too bad, but I get tired driving that far, so I'm hoping to survive a summer of training in the Central Valley heat. 3) Our church is poised to see some pretty amazing growth happen starting this fall with thousands of families excpected to move in all around us. It means that our church is positioned to really meet people's needs and connect with all of these young families. It also is an opportunity to get that much better in what I do, which means recruiting more musicians, creating three really solid bands as opposed to one band made up of 20 interchangable musicians and hopefully taking our act on the road a little bit in the next year doing conferences, retreats, camps and things like that. With all that going on, the next 100 posts are sure to be exciting! Thanks for reading and stay tuned for all of the haps coming up. by the way. It has been about the busiest I've ever been in my life and I am now officially (well almost) on top of it, which means that I'll be setting aside more time to blog. My goal is every day; Content drives readership!

a little treat for my generation

the nickname game is on

PDub? I'm not sure. that's what is in the lead so far for my new nickname. Here's the thing though. I don't really feel comfortable saying, "ok, that's the winner, that's my nickname." there's something disingenuous about that. So the real winner is when I start getting called something. So if you see me on a regular basis and you think I should be called something like Pauly Haug-O-licious, you've got to make it happen. If you're embarassed to say it, that's a good gauge that I'd be embarassed to be called it. You all make the call though!

Gettin' funky with the Prez

I know what you're thinking; President Bush got a mosquito down his pants while in Africa for Malaria awareness day, but no. He's actually dancing. Good thing dance rhythm is not a requirement for holding political office.

give me a nickname

Okay, so here's the deal. I was talking with a Liz and Rhonda last night after choir practice and realized that I am un-nicknamable (that's right, it's a word, at least it is now). Throughout my life I have given people nicknames that have stuck without getting one back. I have been around other nickname givers who I would say are in the same boat. For those of you who know him, what do you call Mike Berk? See, you can't do it. Here at the church there are people named DMac, Kmac, DCam, DLove, what am I supposed to be called, PHaug? Come on, let's get serious. So I'm throwin' down the nickname gauntlet. Here are the rules: 1) The name has to stick! 2) It has to be something that people will embrace and that I would be proud of as well, otherwise you're just laughing at me and that's not cool. 3) It has to be creative (for years I was called just by my last name, which worked, but come on, that's not a nickname. I contend that it can't be done! Prove me wrong!

Dairy Queen Commercial

Jenn and I were hanging out with our friends, Micah and Erica , the other day when we started talking about funny commercials (I know, we're lame). The natural jump from this conversation was to find these funny commercials on YouTube. Here is the result of this search.

I was lame. Now I'm back.

I have not posted since March 9th. That is a month long absence from the blogosphere and I confess I have not minded so much. There are good reasons for not blogging, like planning my wife's surprise birthday party, planning and rehearsing for Easter, my in-laws coming in to town and a whole mess of other things. needless to say, it has been pretty busy around here. However, I am back and badder than ever(okay, I'm probably not badder than ever, I just kind of wanted to say that)! Anyhoo, I thought if I was going to jump back in I needed to do it with both feet. I needed to write about something that has some bite to it ya know? So where do I go when I need to find something good to write about? I steal it from Dana. He sent me this email and I decided taht this would be what pushed me back to the blogspot. Enjoy. Imagine you are a veterinarian working at a local zoo in Taiwan. You're going about your day; enjoying life; working with animals and living out your dreams. Just as you are thinking "my life can't get any better" you go to feed one of those beloved creatures and BAM!!! A friggin' crocodile bites your stinkin' arm off!! Okay, working at a church during Easter is not that bad.

Pimp my volunteers

I was talking to an old friend of mine last night after band practice and was telling him about Clovis Hills and found myself going on and on about how cool it is to work here. I've talked before about how much I love my job and yadda yadda, but I've never really talked about how cool it is to play with these amazing musicians. As I was driving in today I was listening to an original by one of the guys in the band and was blown away by his playing. One of the things that I love is that so many of these guys are playing in other bands outside the church and are getting to be creative. It's cool to see so many musicians go out and be creative on a regular basis and then have them all come back together and mix it up here. In light of that, I thought I'd take a minute or two pimp some volunteers, and show off their sites. South of Shaw - One of our drummers and fellow blogger, Dana is their drummer. you can check out some videos and listen to some of their songs. They've got a new CD coming soon! You can also check out his blog here. Torrent Raine - Doug is one of our guitar players and Rhonda is in our choir, "New Day." They're still in the early stages, but placed high in a competition for unsigned bands at Spirit West Coast last year. Go check 'em out!

Weight Loss Update

weight lost this week: 3.5 lbs Total weight lost: 41.5 lbs. I have officially kicked the 40 pound barrier in the flabby arse!

Tired of the Mac Rumors? Create Your Own.

So now who's going to tell me they know when Leopard is coming out?

Just something for the middle of your day

wow

I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our band here at Clovis Hills. Here's his audition tape.

my bad

today, a little birdy told me that I have some links that are no longer accurate and that I had not fully spread around the link love that I should of. This thoughtful reader and relatively new blogger indicated that something seems missing from my blog by not having him there. So I offer this blog as a formal appology and ask that you all check out the newest addition to my "friends" section, Mike. Aside from being the guy that deserves the most credit for teaching me how to be a Christian, he also married Jenn and me. He and his wife, also named Jen, have been actively involved in my life and my growth. So to not have him in my link list is to not do justice to the entire linking system. I appologize. So without further delay, I give you (long dramatic pause)... Mike.

nice

Finding it hard to keep track of all of your remote controls?

Can't afford one of those swanky, touch-screen universal remotes?

I have the answer to all of your problems...

The Remote Wrangler!

Weight loss update

as of Monday, I dropped another 3 lbs! I have lost a total of 38 lbs and am on the verge of hitting my next major goal of 40. So let's practice, "Paul would you like a snickers?" "No thank you."

weight-loss update

sorry I didn't post about this, earlier in the week, but I have not had great access to my blog this week because of the aforementioned computer problems.

I'm back on track with this fat ragamuffin thing and kickin' my weight-loss goal (80 lbs!) in the b-hole! I lost 5 pounds last week (the first week that I've been really hitting it every day in a while) and am feeling good. I'm on to stay this time (I hope) cuz the race for the cure is just around the corner!

updates my booty!

so Sunday morning I strolled into my office at 7 am in an attempt to get everything ready for the services that lay ahead, when I noticed that windows had installed an update. "well great!" I said to myself. "I like updates, who doesn't like updates?"

So the geniuses at microsoft set it up so that my computer would restart on its own and that everything would be ready for me when I got there. Awesome. Except that now I can't connect to the internet, iTunes or our network at the church, from my office. Thanks a crap load Mr. Gates!

So I've spent the last couple days floating around and using the office of our Women's Pastor while she's at a conference and apparently this thing is getting fixed.

I am unable to burn CDs for my choir or access some of the files on my network. To sum it up, Windows has not made my life easier.

don't worry though, my five year plan to convert the entire office to Macs is in effect. In the mean time, maybe I can find a typewritter that works around here.