LIES.

Okay, I admit.


I am horrible at predicting the future.




So, I've told a lie. I'M SORRY!!!


So, I'm going to tell the truth. The Foam Cabinet has given me a lovely friend we'll call Tweety Bird. She is going to ask me some questions. I have to tell the truthful answer... because THE TRUTH SHALL SET ME FREE!!!



I wanted to do that whole "Two Truths and a Lie" thing, but the Foam Cabinet is telling me otherwise.




Tweety Bird: Do you like Soccer Boy #13?

Cale Josten (me, in case you didn't know...): Duh.

Tweety Bird: When you see his face, do you get all bubbly inside?

Me: Haha... yes.

Tweety Bird: When you see Soccer Boy #13, what are your usual thoughts?

Me: I have a lot of thoughts, all of which are excellent. For example: "This kid is much more awesome than I could ever be..."

Tweety Bird: This is so fun! You should call him and tell him to read it...

Me: He's going to read it anyway... This post is probably going to be extremely awkward. I don't even know if he'll speak to me after this. But, it's gotta be obvious, right?

Tweety Bird: I think young love is so adorable! I sense he likes you as well. Of course, he's not the dating type, is he? Haha, you're writing down everything I say!

Me: That's the whole point of this post! THE FOAM CABINET MADE ME DO IT!!! (Sorry, Soccer Boy #13...)

Tweety Bird: I guess I'm the Foam Cabinet today, then. 'Cause I made you do it! This is gonna be so exciting!!! *creepy giggles*

Me: I suppose. *laughing hysterically*

Tweety Bird: I guess I'm done. You can do your little closing thing now. (This is creepy... You're, like, writing down EVERYTHING I say...) Cale's in love with Soccer Boy #13!

Me: Woah. I'm too young for that!

Tweety Bird: You're never too young for love...




Now Tweety Bird's talking about my sister. I'll go ahead and close, like she told me to. I must apologize, "Soccer Boy #13", for giving you such an obvious nickname. It was Tweety Bird's idea. And I apologize for publicizing this. Not really... but still. They knew already. Right?


Anyway, once I get my camera chord back, I get to post about none other than...




Kitties!!!






Tweety Bird: Aww! I like that heart! 'Cause it could stand for your big heart, Cale, and then the little heart inside for Soccer Boy #13!

Me: *blushes awkwardly* Um, okay...

Tweety Bird: But, of course, your love is bigger than that. We should call Soccer Boy #13 right now! *smiles*




Sorry, folks. I'm starting to get a little irritated at truth. Oh well. =P

Predicting the Future

I wanted to open the Foam Cabinet yesterday, but I started to watch Forrest Gump... and it was way past midnight....


And I fell asleep!




This is the second time I've watched this movie half-way through, but then fell asleep for the rest of it. I want to see how it ends!!! 








Anyway, I'm going to predict the future for you, for that is what was in the Foam Cabinet this morning:

The
!




As a disclaimer, I must inform you that I do not ACTUALLY know what anyone's exact future holds, including my own. But, with a little thinking, and a big Foam Cabinet... And the God who made it all... anything is possible!




Like a post about predicting the future.












I'm sure you all have heard of that one guy, Harold Egbert Camping? He predicted the end of the world. MORE THAN ONCE!!! And when October 21, 2011 comes, I'll probably be at a football game playing crash cymbals and a xylophone. (My first prediction! Keep count!)


"But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." -Matthew 24:36 KJV 


My rebellious mind once thought of a loophole around these words. I thought that if every person alive predicted the end of the world on a different day, eventually one man would know!


This is a horrible loophole. God is bigger than the rest of us. We do not have the authority to predict His coming. We just are left with the responsibility of living until He does return, and anticipating it!






With all that said, I am going to eat breakfast today. Why? Because I always eat breakfast. Of course, Jesus could come before I get off this computer, thus making my prediction invalid... 
And "breakfast" for me referrs not only to physical food, but spiritual food. Spiritual food is far more important, as our spirits are immortal. My body will die one day. As my breakfast, I think a few chapters of Job and an Epistle, plus the Proverbs for the day (and an attempt to actually sing along to one of the Psalms of David) should suffice for this morning. I want to do it all! In fact, now I feel guilty for NOT reading before posting! 




My mind will overcome my spirit today. This is a sad truth. It's already happened, and it will happen again. I pray for the cleansing of my mind, so my spirit can be filled! 




I have many more predictions about the future, and I will convey them to the world somehow. But for now, I'm hungry. I shall leave you with this final prediction: The next time I open the Foam Cabinet, I will find kitties.

30th Post

That's right, folks. This is the thirtieth time I've opened the Foam Cabinet AND posted what I saw. Actually, it's probably only the twenty-eighth... Whatever. This is my 30th POST.






If anyone has been in good contact with me over the past few days, they'll know first-hand about what I've found in the Foam Cabinet lately. >=)


A ton of pick-up lines!


I'll share a few that I haven't used yet.


As you read, imagine I'm using them on you.


While two inches in front of your face.


Staring intently into your eyes.


Smelling strongly of your favorite smell.


And reaching out a hand to stroke your arm.


The whole point of this is to make you feel awkward.


Perhaps I'll succeed...



Your eyes are like a microwave; they melt my heart.


I bet you taste like chocolate; 'cause you're so sweet!


Is it a sin that you stole my heart?


Could you touch me? I told my friends I'd be touched by an angel today.


I must be a rain drop, because I've fallen for you.


If the stars in the universe vanished every time I thought of you, there'd be none left right now.


Hey can I have some raisins? How about a date?


I'd like to prick you with a pin... to see if you really do bleed sunshine.


Hey... there's something wrong with my eyes! I just can't get them off you...






I could go on. ;)

But I won't.

I'll just have to see what the Foam Cabinet has for me tomorrow.

Assistant TO the Regional Manager

My good friend J-LO (No, NOT Jennifer Lopez) has appointed me as the Unofficial-Section-ish-Leader-ish-Cymbals-Assistant-ish-ish-Thingy-ish. I take pride in the role, just as Dwight Schrute took pride in being promoted from "Assistant to the Regional Manager" to "Assistant Regional Manager".



But, as Uncle Ben always said, "Great power comes with great responsibility."



My responsibility as an Unofficial-Section-ish-Leader-ish-Cymbals-Assistant-ish-ish-Thingy-ish is very big. I have set aside some rules:

1.) Always do more push-ups than everyone else. This is most important because everyone hates push-ups. I happen to enjoy them, and I actually push for my mistakes. Sooner or later, everyone else will pick up on the "one drop, all drop" rule... but for now, my muscles shall become bigger.

2.) Never blame anyone else, even if it is their fault. I'm not sure how many people abide by this rule, but it makes sense to me. I'll correct someone if they're at fault, but I won't go around blaming them in front of everyone else. It'll be mia culpa.

3.) Get there early. I have no need to explain this.

4.) Make sure everything is covered and in its place. No one likes to follow this rule. It's "inconvenient". Too bad. It's gotta be done. If no one else does it, who better than myself to finish the job?

5.) Dance often. But not when Ryles doesn't want me to. I dance when there is or isn't music. I don't care if it's weird, eccentric, or thermodynamic... I LOVE TO DANCE!! Unless, of course, Ryles gives me the eye.

6.) Lend generously. I know, mallets are expensive. I trust my fellow percussionists to take that into account and use my equipment properly. If they don't, I'll cope.

7.) No complaining. This really should be rule number one.





I opened the Foam Cabinet after I established these rules in my mind and found a ribbon.




Why?


I have no idea.

BRAH! (Building Reasonable Amounts of Happiness!)

I have two choices. I always have at least two choices. Everyone ALWAYS has at least two choices.


For example...










My dad comes into my room, turns on the light, and wakes me up. I can:
-Wake up.
-Go back to sleep.

I choose to wake up. I get out of bed and go to the bathroom. I can:
-Stand in front of the mirror and daydream about boys, pillows, and beef jerky.
-Get showered and focus on praising God that the water works.

I choose to shower and pray, and get on with the morning. I leave the bathroom. I can:
-Go to the kitchen to feed the pets and myself.
-Go to my room and catch five more minutes of rest.

I choose to go to the kitchen. My cats and guinea pig are happy, and so is my stomach. I finish my chores, and fill my water canteen. I can:
-Find my Bible and do a short study before my dad gets ready.
-Brush my teeth and fix my hair.

I choose to groom myself. I choose a hat to wear for the day, and my tongue glides over my minty-fresh teeth. My dad finishes his morning preparations. He drives me to school. I can:
-Listen to both my iPod and Dr. David Jeremiah's sermon on encouragement.
-Turn the noise off and have some conversation with both my father and my Father.

I choose to listen. The sermon is, indeed, encouraging. We approach the school, and I get out with my iPod still playing. The percussion leader is by his car. I can:
-Put my iPod away and strike up a decent conversation with him.
-Keep walking and have some time to myself to think.

I choose to be alone. A couple of my section-mates join me shortly. One starts playing secular music. I can:
-Stay.
-Leave.

I choose to stay, but with my headphones still in. More people arrive, and the band room is opened. We enter and start our routine. I can:
-Push myself to complete the workout beyond what I want to do.
-Halfheartedly finish the workout and let the whole world know how much I really don't like it.

I choose to push myself. We finish, and I hop up before everyone else to get moving again. We continue our routine. I can:
-Give the instructor my full attention.
-Mess around with my friends.


... ... ...


The day goes by, and band camp is over for the day. 




I could go on for a couple more hours explaining, in full detail, the decisions I faced today alone. The whole week would be close to impossible to document! But, if it could be done, I bet right here and right now that I could tell you who I think about the most, what I spend time on the most, how I think about things, and so on. Easy. It's the detail that gets me...


I opened the Foam Cabinet today and found an excessive amount of energy. I believe that I've used almost all of that energy up by now, thought, because there is a constant ringing in my ears, a droning pounding in my head (Ha! I used "droning" as an adverb!), and a piercing wave of blankness randomly coming upon my brain.




For those of you who are feeling the same way and do not feel like reading a ton of descriptions: I am tired.

Doggone-it, I'm more exhausted now than I've ever been in my life!


But I've seen what that Foam Cabinet of mine has in store for me. Though there was an overwhelming amount of energy inside the Foam Cabinet today, there was also a ton of emptiness. Perhaps I need to improve my mind a little bit by pushing myself a little harder to learn a little more? Who knows.


Anyway, that energy was extremely useful today.

I used it to wake up and stay up.

I used it to stretch and work out.

I used it to play the lovely instrument we call a xylophone.

I used it to have conversations.

I used it to dance to the Lord in front of a crowd of kids and adults alike.

I used it to focus on what was being said.

I used it to remember notes and patterns and rhythms almost effortlessly.

I used it to praise God.

I used it to glorify myself.

I used it to help others.

I used it to type this blog post...

A British accent makes everything funny...

It's a Law of Life as a Cale Josten! British accents simply tickle my senses. If anyone reading this is British, don't get offended.

This will be a fairly short post, because...

because it is.

You must realize that as I'm typing this, I'm speaking mentally in a British accent. 

And that means that this is not a deep, serious post.

It could be deep...

But oddly enough, thinking in a British accent makes my mind take things a little less seriously.

So, I opened the Foam Cabinet...

And inside was not what I wanted.

But now, I'm happier. 

I got what I didn't want!

=)

Fortification

More good news: I opened the Foam Cabinet today, and saw what the Foam Cabinet held with astounding clarity!

I bet you'll never guess what the Foam Cabinet gave me.

I'd let there be guesses, but I'm a little too dang excited about this.

The Foam Cabinet....

Gave me....

A....

Isn't this exciting? :)
















































Well, for an average old chap like myself, a nail wouldn't be particularly interesting at all.









But...












This nail is pretty encouraging. It's pretty well known that Rome wasn't built in a day.




So, in the same sense, a fortification of my mind cannot be built....






...in a day.










Also, I'd like to point out that elephants start out as single cells, just like the rest of us. They just happen to grow a little bigger... that's all.








How is any of this relevant?






Like I've said before, if it ain't relevant to you, it's probably SUPER relevant to me.












































A nail is pretty relevant, in this case.

Clarity?

I would say that I favor clarity...


But I would be lying.


I'm the kind of person who wants to know stuff, but not everything.

I'm the kind of person who releases my feelings... from days to years after they've been felt.

I'm the kind of person who has adamant opinions, but takes forever to form them.

I'm the kind of person who knows how to read a face... but spends hours each night interpreting its meaning.

I'm the kind of person who loves unconditionally, but is super talented at pretending not to.

I'm the kind of person who is original... to the point of blending in with crowd.

I'm the kind of person who takes intrest in small things, but could care less if her house caught on fire.

I'm the kind of person who finds all the small signs... ignoring the elephant in the room.

I'm the kind of person who gets her way, but would do anything to give it all away.

I'm the kind of person who creates a mountain out of nothing... and stomps on the molehills.

I'm the kind of person who laughs, but wishes the world was more serious.

I'm the kind of person who favors love... not justice.

I'll tell you what: Opening the Foam Cabinet has been extremely difficult lately. I'm not kidding. I'd try with all my strength and energy... It's not that the Foam Cabinet is empty. The Foam Cabinet is probably overflowing with useful bits and pieces that make up most of my life.

Sadly, I couldn't access them, for some reason.

A couple good friends of mine gave me the key to opening this newly-locked Foam Cabinet today. To be clear, I'm not quite sure what I saw. Contradicting, I know. More often-than-not, the Foam Cabinet shows me something with absolute clarity. It may not be so sharp to anyone else who reads my typed thoughts, but everything the Foam Cabinet gives me is, to me, obvious in purpose. Even when I'm confused about it, the contents of the Foam Cabinet stay relevant. 

But using the key my friends gave me, the Foam Cabinet opened up to reveal... something. 

I think.

All those statements about myself... they're all true, in either a literal or metaphorical way. I put up those statements to try and reason out what I might have seen in the Foam Cabinet, but I'm right back where I started: clueless.

Clarity?

Not today. 

But, on the bright side, the Foam Cabinet opened up today! =)