Category Archives: Nader

Baier, Becca, Derrick, Eric, Geri, House, Jay, Jeff Daniel, Jen, Jesse, Nader, Sara, Scottie D., Shannon, Steve, Teresa, Ungs, Willy, Yin

Housewarming Invites

May 22, 2009 Christopher D. Bennett

I had a housewarming/birthday shindig on May 23. I made individual invitations for those that were invited. I’d like to share some of them.

2009 Birthday/Housewarming Party Invitation

Willy

The Kahlers

Nader

Sara

Shannon

The Roberts Family

The Hiatts

The Howards

Jay

Jeff and Yin

The Gorshes

The Baiers

Bethany and Rebecca

Casy

The Degeneffes

Geri

Geri requested a new picture of us be taken because she wanted a picture where she wasn’t looking at me as if I was the smartest person in the world. I guess I never noticed her having an expression different than what I’m used to seeing by the majority of people in my life…

Baier, Basketball, Faust, Frank, Jesse, Lowell, Mark, Music, Nader, Robert, Russell, Toby

Big Empty

April 7, 2009 Christopher D. Bennett

Too much walkin’, shoes worn thin
Too much trippin’ and my soul’s worn thin
Time to catch a ride it leaves today
Her name is what it means

I’d say that there is a fair chance that when the Stone Temple Pilots recorded the song Big Empty, they were not thinking about how I feel the day after college basketball season ends. But it will pass as a close approximation.

The end of the season means the coronation of a new King of the Brackets in my pool of friends. This year the person that displayed the most prescience was again Mark Wolfram.

Roundball Oracles 2009 Final Standings
1. Mark Wolfram – Taiwan Hoops – 135 Points
2. Jason Baier – Mcdermite – 133 Points
3. Frank Meiners – Frank Meiners – 131 Points
4. Russell Kennerly – thefightingmattfortes – 128 Points
5. Dan Dill – dandydanl – 126 Points
6. Christopher D. Bennett – The Future – 124 Points
7. Nate Buckingham – Wade Lookingbill Allstar picks – 91 Points
8. Corey Faust – Tubbyville – 82 Points
9. Toby Sebring – Car Ramrod – 79 Points
10. Jesse Howard – Goldies Dance Card – 73 Points
11. Robert Henning – Fill It Up – 69 Points
12. Nader Parsaei – Charlie Chaplin – 45 Points
13. Lowell Davis – Waiting For Baseball Season – 0 Points

Past Champions
2005 – William McAlpine
2006 – William McAlpine
2007 – Tim Peterson
2008 – Mark Wolfram

It is admittedly slightly embarrassing that a dude living in Taiwan has won our NCAA tourney pool back to back years.

House, Jason, Life, Movies, Nader

Saturday’s Accomplishment

April 5, 2009 Christopher D. Bennett

On Saturday, Jason and I got the garage opener put on the garage door. This makes parking in the garage a lot easier. This was a good thing, because when I looked out my back door on Sunday after I got home from church I saw the following:

IMAGE LOST

Thanks to that garage, I didn’t have to clean off my car. I just backed the car out of the garage and onto the street and I was off to Ames.

Once in Ames, I picked up Nader so that we could check out Adventureland.

IMAGE LOST

Maybe you can’t tell from that picture, but he was complaining about the weather. Despite my best efforts over the years, I fear that I have failed to man that guy up.

Adventureland turned out to be a fair movie. It does have an incredible 80s soundtrack and a great performance by Kristen Stewart, but I found the movie to have more ambitions than it could deliver on.

After the movie I took Nader to Super Wal-Mart to buy groceries. I found something very disturbing in the frozen food aisle.

IMAGE LOST

Excuse the crude cell phone picture, but that is the best I could do under the circumstances.

My favorite captain from Deadliest Catch is hawking his own brand of frozen fish products?!?! Captain Sig has become Captain Sellout. Oh the humanity!

Alexis, Baier, Becky, Carla, Derrick, House, James, Jason, Jay, Jeff Daniel, Jen, Jesse, Mom, Monica, Nader, Sara, Shannon, Teresa, Yin

Primary Painting Day

March 3, 2009 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

Although Carla and Alexis did a wonderful job of taking pictures, one of the downsides of not having taken any pictures myself is that I didn’t get pictures of everybody that helped.

So thanks to my incredible painting crew on Primary Painting Day:

Jason Stensland
Carla Stensland
Alexis Stensland
Jason Baier
Jeff Daniel
Amy Yin
Jen Gorshe
Derrick Gorshe
Sara Junck
Teresa Kahler
Monica Henning
Nader Parsaei
Jay Janson
Jesse Howard
Shannon Bardole
Becky Perkovich
James Strachota

I’m sure I’m forgetting somebody. They all did a wonderful job and if it wasn’t for the stupid moisture, I’m sure we would have been completely done on that day. With everything except the kitchen cabinets.

My mom also cooked up a wonderful lunch and supper. I think a good time was had by most.

Some pictures from that day in no particular order:

The Master Bedroom

The Office

Roger taking the tile out to make room for a shower.

Shannon painting the entry way.

Jen working in the kitchen. Notice the swanky green color that kitchen cabinets used to be before the horrible antiquing.

Jesse, possibly high on something, working in the kitchen.

Jesse doing some primer work in the kitchen.

Sara and Alexis toiling in the kitchen. I do not know what I am doing.

Alexis and I painting the living room wall. It might be the accent wall, but I’m not sure if it is still considered an accent wall if you paint two walls that color.

Carla painting in the master bedroom. To the left of her is the family heirloom, our Grandpa Bennett’s painting stool.

Painting the living room. Jesse, Alexis, Me and James.

The guest bedroom.

Jason painting the living room.

Jason and Carla came over on Sunday to do some more painting.

Jen came over and did quite a bit more work in the kitchen as well. I just don’t have any pictures of that.

Formal Portrait, Movies, Nader, Self-Portrait, Teresa

Denouement

January 7, 2009 Christopher D. Bennett

A few pictures from Nader and I’s final trip to the Varsity with Teresa.

I don’t know if there is any thing else to say.

Black & White, Calendar, Iowa State, Jay, Jesse, Nader, Self-Portrait, Shannon, Vest

January

December 15, 2008 Christopher D. Bennett

The 2009 Photography 139 Calendar went through quite a large metamorphosis this year. I wasn’t sure that I was going to produce a calendar this year. The amount of time involved in the designing, printing, laminating and binding the calendar was becoming a burden on me and my friends. I can’t even count how many hours last year Jesse, Jay and Nader put in to making these calendars.

This year I outsourced the printing of the calendar. This was much harder for me to do than one might suspect. I think I don’t necessarily give the outward appearance of being a control freak, but I do have things in my life where compromise is not to be considered.

Once I was able to talk myself into outsourcing the printing, everything else sort of fell into place. The amount of time put into the calendar this year by me and my friends was only a couple of hours. Most of the time was actually spent in designing the calendar. Jesse and Jay were not even bothered at all.

I can thank Mike Vest for being my liaison between me and my printer. He also punched every hole in the calendars for hanging. I also need to thank Shannon for binding all of the calendars.

I have yet to distribute all of the calendars, but I would like to beginning sharing the pictures that I selected for the 2009 calendar.

Below is the picture for January.

This is the only picture in the calendar that wasn’t taken in 2008. This self-portrait was taken late in 2007. The location of this picture was the Campanile on the Iowa State University campus.

Formal Portrait, Nader, Photoshop

Happy Birthday Nader

October 28, 2008 Christopher D. Bennett

Today is Nader’s Birthday.

Happy Birthday!

Baier, Boone FUMC, Christianity, Jay, Jesse, Life, Nader, Shannon

Sunday

June 22, 2008 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

I managed to make it through this Sunday’s Sermon/Interview. I don’t think that I embarrassed myself too much and I think at least a few people were touched or were able to relate to my message.

I don’t want to re-hash the experience, but I would like to thank Jesse, Jay, Shannon, Jason, Carrie and Nader for coming to support me. I also would like to thank Lowell for being there. My family was incredibly supportive as well.

I do want to share a video that Andrea found on the internet and played during the sermon of the song No One Else Knows by Building 429. A song that is very important to me.

Of course if you subscribe to this blog via e-mail or RSS Feed, you will actually have to go to the website to see the article.

Also, even though the video credits Casting Crowns with this song, I assure you that it is Building 429’s song.

Black & White, Movies, Nader, Photoshop, Portrait

Real American

June 2, 2008 Christopher D. Bennett

The job posting for a Scab Nader has been closed. Nader has returned to the United States from his trip to visit family in London. We celebrated his return to the States with a meal at King Buffet and a viewing of Prince Caspian.

While eating the semi-edibles at King Buffet, Nader wowed me with his tales of London. One of his tales made me particularly proud. Proud of me. Proud that I have had an influence for the good on this man.

However, there was disturbing aspect of Nader’s return that I had to document. He came home with a way creepy mustache. I think you all know what I believe about mustaches and the men that wear them. He swore to me that he would shave it that night while he was shaving his head. I hope so. Nothing good ever comes from a man growing a mustache.

Creepy Mustache

Look at Yourself

I’m unable to look at that mustache.

Even this cool hat doesn’t help out that mustache.

One last bonus image.

Although I can not in good conscience endorse his facial hair selection, Nader did do one thing in London that makes me very proud.

A few months back Nader joined up with my Rambo Platoon for a viewing of Rambo. This was the first time that Nader had seen a Rambo movie in the theater. He groused about it for days. However, I assured him that although he has been a naturalized citizen for nearly 20 years, it was this viewing of Rambo that made it official that he was a Real American. I even told him that he should get a Certificate of Real Americanism from the Real American Bureau some time this year. (Note to self, need to fake up that certificate at some point.)

While he was in London his mom put pressure on him to move to London so that he could be closer to family.

He told her the following:

“Mom, I’ve seen Rambo now. Once you’ve seen Rambo you are a Real American and can’t move out of the United States.”

I am so proud.

Of course a 64 year old woman living in Tehran doesn’t have the foggiest clue who Rambo is, but that hardly matters.

While I was tearing carpet out of the basement with Jay on Saturday we came across a Rambo toy gun from my youth. I might give that to Nader to show him my appreciation for spreading the Rambo message to Tehran.

On a personal note: Even though Rambo is just a terrible, terrible movie, it isn’t anywhere near as insulting to the franchise as that awful Crystal Skull movie. I’m still angry about it.

Nader, Postcard

Greetings from London

April 29, 2008 Christopher D. Bennett

You will most likely appreciate this a little bit more if you actually know Nader, because this is Classic Nader.

I haven’t traveled farther than Des Moines from my front door this entire year. Yes, I know that is exceedingly pathetic and that error will be corrected in roughly 9 days. I don’t want to give too much away, but my plans involve a really big Jesus.

Fortunately for me I have friends and family that travel and I can live vicariously through them. When people I know go to interesting places and ask me what I want, I tell them postcards. Only, I don’t want a pile of postcards when they get back. I want the postcards to be mailed to me.

Yesterday I went to the mailbox and found a postcard waiting for me that Nader had sent me from London.

Front

Back

It is worth noting that I didn’t do any digital magic to the back of the postcard. That is how Nader sent it to me. No message, just a simple: “From: Nader”. I’m telling you, it is Classic Nader.