Back in 2005, Maybach unveiled one of the most extraordinary cars ever built. Based on a the “short” wheel base 57, the Exelero is their first go at a coupe body style in like 50 years. Now I’m just going to let that sink in. A coupe that has a 57 inch wheel base. A 2 passenger car that is as long as an S Class. Umm, gross. Because the car just recently became available to the public, NewsWeek also just named it their pick for most beautiful Car. I think I agree. I know that I posted the 62s Landaulet was the most beautiful car ever, but I’m also entitled to changing my mind.

So originally, the concept was built so that the tire company Fulda could test and develop new products. While all of this is interesting, lets get to the good stuff. The car would move all 2.6 tons to 100km in 4.4 seconds (faster than most exotics) and topped out at 218 mph. Most of this performance is due to the 700 hp amg V-12 that sits under the bonnet. This also means that it is the first Maybach to come with a 6pt racing harness. When it was unveiled, the estimated price tag was around $16 million. (insert vomit sounds). Today, the converted price is closer to the much more reasonable $7.8 million. So if you sell any small countries and want a place to put all that fresh green, you might be interested. But there was only one made, so don’t think for too long.

This past weekend I went to Nashville to see the first of my really good friends get hitched. I’m told that this is the beginning of a very long and very expensive season in everyones’ life. I guess it had to happen eventually.

On a serious note, I am more than excited for Brendan and Jen. They have put a lot of work into their relationship, and I’m so proud of them. This is a couple that I know will continue to be tools of sanctification for God in each other’s life. I can’t wait to see how their new life unfolds.

I made my first widget. Now that may not seem that special, but in order to do so, I was also registered as an Apple developer. That is the coolest part. Anyway, if you have a Mac running tiger or later, and you also attend Crossroad and Fellowship Church, you might enjoy the widget. Let me know what you think!

Download at Apple Here

Last night I got to see one great movie. Now I know that a lot of people are going to say that I exaggerate about Heath’s portrayal of the Joker, but they probably didn’t see the movie. The crazy thing is, his antics as Joker don’t distract from the movie’s plot or Bruce’s struggle to deal with the weight of Batman’s persona. The movie was very well balanced and I think that there are going to at least be some oscar nominations for a lot of the production staff.

My definition of a great actor is: performing in a way that I forget that actor’s name. This is why Will Smith will never be a great actor in my book. Heath, on the other hand, was outstanding. Through out the whole movie, I was having trouble separating him from the Joker. The production value of the movie was so high, there was at no point that I said to myself, “that’s not real.” Mostly I sat there saying, “holy crap, that’s flippin’ sweet.” There is no doubt in my mind that I will probably see this movie 2 more times in the theater. One time tonight, and one time in IMAX back in Knoxville. That is going to be an experience.

I’m going to the midnight showing of Batman: The Dark Knight in about 5 hours. I am so excited. I have been looking forward to this movie since I saw the first teaser trailers back in December. It has been a long time since the last movie was released, and I must say, one of my favorite movies ever. For the first time you really see a human side of batman. So the story was great, but the cinematography was amazing. That movie got me interested in the true production process and how there are so many parts of a movie. Sure Christian Bale was stellar, but his performance was enhanced and guided by the direction and the overall look of the movie.

All that to say… I’m as giddy as a school girl right now. I cannot wait for this movie!

The other day I was sitting at my desk, working on some State Farm stuff, and in runs one of other workers, Julie. She says, can you come help out at a shoot. I said that I was really busy sitting, but I could squeeze it in. So we drive down to Med Center Mazda.

The shoot was going just fine until the weather stopped cooperating. Unfortunately, the shoot was outside and when stuff gets wet and windy, everything is more difficult. The trucks on the interstate were all louder, the wind was hitting the mic really hard, and the humidity that ensued was awful. The wind was so bad, in fact, that it took 3 people to hold the windscreen in place. As a result, the shoot took twice as long, and twice as many people.

It was cool to see another commercial, though. This time, they shot four :30 spots in one day. That is pretty impressive. It also put the :30 spot in perspective to see this shoot.

Now the idea of shooting a commercial doesn’t seem quite as foreign or difficult. Now I’m not going to fool myself, I do understand that any TV ad is a big deal. They cost too much to not be. But having seen them done gives me a sort of starting block. The experience that I am getting this summer is really educating me on the world of advertising.

This has been an eventful season for the Mercedes-McLaren team. Lead driver and league sensation Lewis Hamilton has been up and down during the season. Last year was his rookie season and that being said, he lead the championship at half way. To compare Lewis to Tiger Woods would be a disservice to Lewis.

Because of his last season, we all expect a lot out of him this season. Up to now he has done well, but not great. He is starting to develop a pattern. If he is going to win, he usually wins by 25-60 seconds. He did this last year he really did it at Monaco and Britain this year. Even though his first place finish isn’t as consistent as we would like, his talent is really starting to shine through. There are three awesome drivers in the series right now, the two Ferrari drivers and Lewis. And he will beat them by half a lap. He really has a gift.

As it stand right now, there is a three way tie for first place. Lewis, Kimi Raikonnen for Ferrari, and Robert Kubica(coob-eetsa) for BMW. Next is the German Grand Prix and I think we all know that with Mercedes being on home turf, we are probably going to see another win for Lewis.

The once tiny Oak Mountain Pres. in Birmingham, AL has become quite a contender over these past few years. Back when I still lived in B’ham, we met in a local high school gym. In fact, the summer we left was when the church celbrated it’s ground breaking ceremony for the new facility. So since then they have grown from an average 200 people in attendance to 2,500 people. That is a big difference. This past spring, they opened the doors to their very first sanctuary (the first building held them in a gym/sanctuary, a sanc-nasium). It is so exciting to see how God is working through Oak Mountain. They have even planted their own church in the downtown area called Red Mountain.

Another place that has me really excited is the growing singles ministry. Yesterday I went to a 4th of July celebration and got to experience a little more of what these people are. Bob Flayhart, the pastor, is so real and honest from the pulpit, these singles really seem to emulate that. It is so easy to connect with them on an intimate level because they are so open and ready to have that kind of conversation.

On a related note, I have also joined a bi-weekly book study on Mere Christianity. Now, I read the book in high school and it admittedly went sailing over my head. I read it again for a small group that I did with my cousin and some other friends, and that didn’t yield the discussion that fosters significant growth. But this group has been awesome. I feel more honest with these guys, and I think that is due to their ability to be just as honest and open. The open expression of our own beliefs is really good for revealing one’s heart. Sometimes you don’t actually know what you believe until you say it out loud. It also is a great way to build up relationships in faith. I have a feeling that some of these friendships I will remember for a very long time.

Last week was another adventure. The Allen Family Reunion involves 5 immediate families, 4 uncles, 16 grand kids, 3 great grand kids, and one Grandmary. All together we were 26 strong.

I always love going down to Destin Beach with the fam. One of the things about the Allen clan is that family is in the top 3 of priorities. No matter what, we can always count on each other. We can also count on a great week at the beach.We had boogie-boarding, ice-cream eating, hole digging, cousin hugging, sun soaking, and a whole lot of bond-strengthening.

This summer was the first time back at Destin in 3 years. Last year we had our reunion on Kiawah Island with the other half of the family. We had over 40 of us there. I will admit that it is nice to be back at the ol’ Crescant Resort. We’ve used their facilities so many times that we kinda have free reign while we’re there.

For example, instead of fixing dinner and eating in one of the families condos, we all go down to the conference room and eat together there. For a group of 26, it is really hard to get into a restaurant together. So having that room at our disposal really makes dinner a lot easier.

But we can’t have every dinner at the resort. We made our way over to the Crab Shack for some good eats. going out as a family is one of my favorite parts of these trips. Going out to dinner is like our chance to show off the family. “We’re big! We’re fun! Get used to it.” I’m reminded of what my youngest sister said after Cassie and I moved out for college. She said that she was embarrassed to go out with only 5 people. She didn’t like anyone thinking that we had a normal (small) family. It also gives us a chance to really grow our relationships. At the condo, we all sort of divide up into our respective age groups. But when we are out we are confined to 1 or 2 tables. It kind of forces us to interact with everyone.

But the real bonding happens on the sand. I always forget how much fun the beach can truly be. The younger cousins just make every single event a new adventure. And I can say from experience that being out on a sandbar is always more fun with more people.

The week was great. God has really blessed me with a beautiful example of how a family should be. We may not get along every day, but I tell you, we sure do more loving than anything else. This is the family that I pray God helps me to raise. I know that it wasn’t our love that kept us together all these years. His love is a much more effective glue.

Today I helped produce a TV commercial for the first time!! I am so excited. You can’t imagine how awesome it is to be involved at that level in the agency (as an INTERN). It was for a local fast food chain here in Birmingham called Milo’s. My job was just to help where ever I could. In the picture I am helping Kevin, the director, to correct the lighting and center the shot.

The commercial was shot like a music video. Milo’s has this great jingle that is like common knowledge down here, so they had an American Idol style contest for a person to be in a Milo’s ad to sing the jingle. It was really cool to see the whole picture. I saw direction, set design, production, and even a little post back at the office. I’m not going to lie, this experience has just put me 2 years ahead in my studies.