A few things…

Well its time to resurrect this blog.

Bam. Its been two months since I last wrote a word on this thing. A lot has happened and a lot has not.

For the better part of the last two months I’ve been working at William & Mary in Williamsburg, VA for iD Tech Camps. ID Tech runs its camps all over the U.S. at different colleges and universities like Stanford University, UCLA, Columbia, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Brown University, etc… These camps are technology camps which means we aren’t counselors so much as we are instructors. At most locations we teach game design, web design, Flash, programming, robotics, digital video editing and bunch more. I taught digital video editing and 3D game design.

Working with kids is a trip. That is the most succinct way I can put it. Working with kids making movies and video games is absolutely ridiculous. Kids are nuts, they have imaginations that run wild, they can’t sit still, they love getting into trouble, they love to talk and overall they pretty much just amaze me. Its funny how you can sometimes catch glimpses of how they will grow up to be.  I usually have to control about 8-12 of them a week in my classes and at the dorms. Octomom doesn’t really have anything on me.

These kids usually come from interesting backgrounds. The camps start at about $1200 bucks a week, so most of the kids are pretty well off. At the end of each week we have a “Family Showcase” where we show all the kids have done and meet parents. This year I had some kids with interesting parents in my classes, I’ve meet the Editor-in-Chief of Time Magazine, Woody Allen’s film editor, and a bunch of pro golfers. It is much more interesting work than Kohls. Sadly summer is over which means my job is over. So I’m back on the job hunt, refreshed and ready to roll.

My adventure for the summer was working for iD Tech at Columbia University in downtown Manhattan, NYC. I lived in the Bronx at a different college and commuted every morning to Manhattan via public transportation. Living smack in the middle of the Bronx and having all my nights off that week to run loose in NYC certainly gave me a few stories… but that will have to wait until the next blog post. So tune in.

Thats all for today I guess. I might throw a few other summer stories on here once I get back in the groove of blogging.

P.S. THE FIRST NFL PRESEASON WEEKEND STARTS TOMORROW!!! Check out the schedule and get pumped!!! STEELER NATION!!! One last sentence with three exclamation marks!!!

Jack Handy

Jack Handy is ridiculous. He is absurd. And at the same time, I think, so hysterically funny.

Check out his article on digg (and dig it if you can): http://digg.com/comedy/Deep_Thoughts_Jack_Handy_s_message_to_the_President_Obama

That is all.

Music and Sight

I do not enjoy anything as much as I enjoy the combination of music and sight. It amazes me how the combination of these things far surpass merely the sum of their parts. It is something magical that surpasses any drug, any thrill, or any experience I know. I think music is a gift from God. When I think of heaven, I think of a place where music will never cease and my eyes will never close. Music can convey emotion like no other thing I have found, and more so it can convey such a complex array of emotions or feelings simultaneously like nothing else. Combine music with some form of visual stimuli and you have something indescribable.

People hound me all the time about how I rant about the quality of sound, the quality of a visual, or the quality of a taste. For me life is about experiences; I want to have as many of them as possible and I want them to be as memorable as possible. The more a serene a sight is, the more clear a sound is, the more distinguished a taste is, the more memorable it is to me. This is the reason I rant, this is the reason I seek out quality.

Film is nothing to me without music. Music can stand alone, but never fully reaches its potential without a visual.

I am going to list two songs for you in the “Film of the Week” section of my page, I want you to stick them on your ipod and when you are in the most scenic place you know, pop them on. I’ve been enjoying the beach and sun all week here in Emerald Isle, NC – but of all the fun I had, I did not enjoy anything as much as listening to these songs and simply watching the waves roll in and the people play in surf.

I have in recent years really started to enjoy opera. I can’t understand what anyone is saying, but I understand what they are feeling. In the same way while in college my ears were opened to classical music. I learned from both of these genres that music is truly a universal language and that it is indeed the most beautiful language in existence.

Well it is dinner time and my family is hollering my name. I guess thats all for today. Goodbye.

When I think of a good title I’ll stick it here

Well it has been awhile since I’ve given an update on this blog and what I’m up to. Here we go.

I am now currently employed part time by Kohls, it is indeed one of those “get me by” jobs. I am trying to keep a little income flow while I look for a real job. It is somewhat depressing that I graduated, now have my degree and am working for Kohls… but I just have to be patient. I no longer feel in a rush to find a job and end up getting into something I don’t like. I am going to take the time and make sure I get a job I really want. Recently I have had some progress in that area – I finally got an interview for a federal job working for the Architect of the Capital – I’d be working in the capital building and regularly interacting with congressmen as part of my job if I get it. I’ve got Enterprise (rent a car) interested in me for their management trainee program, which I wouldn’t be that excited about except that position is listed 5th on Business Weeks “Top 100 places to launch a career” list. And I am also seriously considering working for Aramark as an outsides sales rep – I have family that works for them who could help me secure a position with that company. The salesman life is one of big bucks, but a ton of hours. I’m still sorting through many other but those are my top prospects at this point – I’ll let you know if something happens.

I am however, in about three weeks quitting my job at Kohls to work for IdTech Camps for six or more weeks and teach kids web design, programing and videography and rage on them in video games. IdTech is a sweet freaking job – they are going to throw me $625 a week for playing video games and having fun with kids. Thats a good deal. Hopefully I will have a career job lined up before my job with IdTech ends.

Right now I don’t really give a crap about work because all next week I’m going to be on vacation chilling in Emerald Isle in a big sweet beach front house drinking Corona and bashing waves. So life is good at the moment.

Well thats all I feel like writing for now so… peace.

(I will update soon)

I’m almost 23… crap!

My birthday is coming up soon. Crap. Every birthday when I turn whatever I turn, I remember thinking how old this next age is that I have taken on and how young the age I was called just the day before really was. It’s really kind of stupid because it’s all just in my head. Being 23 is not that bad, I’ll still be in my early 20’s – in the big picture I still have a lot of time on my side and a lot of life left to live. It is going by fast though, scary fast. But I am loving to death every God given second of it and plan to continue to do so.

Reflecting on some of my past birthdays, there are 3 that stick out.

• I turn 10, and I get a trampoline. Sweet. Games are made up involving people running around the trampoline pegging  those who are jumping on it in the face with random objects and athletic equipment who are trying to dodge these attacks, once a person gets knocked off or somehow else incapacitated by an object, the one who K.O.’d them gets to bounce. Later, I bounce up and down while listening to 90’s music on my sony discman. Can life get better?

• Yes it can. I turn 18, and on that day fulfill a lifetime goal – skydiving. The first day I legally could, I did and holy crap was it worth the wait. You are 12,000 feet up in the air, the plane door opens – you’ve got adrenaline pumping through you like you didn’t know was possible – you walk to the edge of door, look down, look out, grab a hold of your pack and push off. One of the best feelings I’ve ever felt. You are falling straight down at about 124 mph, but it feels like your flying. It seems like forever,  and then whooooamp, you shoot deploys and now you get to have even more fun steering a parachute to ground below.

• I turn 19 and I am in college living the dream. Oddly enough that night I was awoken late by group of women and went around chasing clues with Mr. Matt Henderson and Mr. Mike White (Maurice) on foot, in cars, on scooters and bikes, all in horridly freezing weather till the sun rose at 6:00am.

My number one birthday request to my parents has been skydiving since that day, my 18th birthday. I’ve tried again this year and it’s a big fail. Once I get a career job I know exactly what I will be doing to celebrate, hopefully I can get some Testosterhome people to do it with me.

Well, I have more to write but it is late and I have to get up early and be a judge at the NC Speech and Debate tournament in Wake Forest. It should be fun, plus it’s catered and all free to judges.

Look for a new post soon with poll results and a new movie to watch. In the meantime download the current film and participate in the poll if you haven’t already. Peace.

Sheer Determination

It’s been awhile. I can’t say that I haven’t had time to keep up this blog, rather my life is so mundane right now that I have a shortage of interesting material. I am past the point where not having people in my face 24/7 as I did in college is something nice. Although, I have truly enjoyed the last few months; time with my family, living in a nice house, peace and quite, recreational reading, plenty of personal space, home cooking, and no fear of my stuff getting destroyed in a random party invasion of my room — these are all things I did not have at JMU. I am someone who enjoys being extroverted and introverted — I can fully appreciate both, but the time has come where I am indeed tired of staring at a computer screen all day looking for work and filling out endless amounts of paperwork. Yet, I have to keep going. From what I gather, many of my friends are not happy they jumped on the jobs they have now. I am somewhat conflicted on the issue, letting a tangible job go is hard as I know good jobs are scarce in this economy, yet I don’t want to end up in something I hate. I feel that patience and perseverance are key, known by a few men from my college house as sheer determination. Sheer determination usually ended up a being a good tactic. This is the tactic I will adopt for my job search.

Enough depressing job search talk, now it’s movie time! This ones called “Gran Torino”, starring and directed by Clint Eastwood. I loved this movie for many reasons, but I could like it solely for the fact that even as an old man, Clint Eastwood is a complete badass, and I mean that in the best sense of the word. The story is very compelling and dramatic with some subtle humor mixed in. It’s basically about an old racist koran war veteran with new neighbors that happen to be asian. I’d rather you watch it than I explain the whole thing. So boof, it’s over there to the right for you to download.

In other news, I recently started using a site called Mint.com. The site is a free web-based personal financial management service allows users to track bank, credit card, investment, and loan transactions and balances through a single user interface. Its very fast and easy to set up, amazingly useful and has helped me get my finances organized and well-managed. I wish I would have used this in college. Check it out.

Lastly, lets look at last post’s poll.

Being deaf is the most popular, followed by other, then having no legs, then blind, and no one would rather have no arms. Interesting. We can conclude from this data that not having any arms would suck the most.

Lets take a look at the “other” results. First response was “have a bent dong… HA you already have that” (this no doubt was written by Mr. JC Cantrell who is obsessed with my “dong”) , next was “Proficient in 10 musical instruments” (I’m guessing this is by Henderson because, well, its just stupid) “have no arms or legs and be torsoeboy!” (Thank you Chris), “Have no tongue”  (no idea) and last, a sexist remark “a woman” (again, no idea). I don’t make them up folks, I just report them.

Well, thats it for this post. Remember to watch the film and fill out this post’s survey. ——>

Peace.

Its been a week…

Well, I completely failed at maintaining this blog and every other social networking tool that I said I was going to keep up with. The reason: it was freaking beautiful outside this past week. Screw everything else, I disc golfed like a maniac this week and it was sick! Man, oh man. I looooove good weather. Speaking of good weather. I think I might be starting to regret not taking the job I got offered down in Naples, Florida. It wasn’t my dream job; inside sales, phone calling my butt off, won’t pay for relocation expenses. But still, decent pay, sick corporate office, chill people my age, challenging, and it was in one of the nicest places I could want to live. Beautiful beaches, always sunny and breezy, you can sail to the bahamas in about 6 hours… need I say more?

I am usually a “here and now” type of guy, but I’ve been looking back a lot more this week. I think it started when I was listening to some Infected Mushroom and was remember the Testoterhome Raves and how mind blowingly amazing they were. And for that matter, how ridiculously fun, exciting, dynamic and awesome college was. Listening to my friends who are now working the 9-5 lifestyle, I am pretty sure that was and will remain the best time of my life.  I’m not trying to stay stuck in the past, I am just reflecting on how blessed I was and if I happen to die tomorrow, it has been a good life and I’d die a very happy man. Well, thats enough of that… have to keep looking forward, I am truly optimistic about the future, I just wish it would get here faster — of course as soon as it passes me by, I know I’ll wish I could still look forward to it, but such is life.

So, I’m starting something new for this blog. I am going to post a full length film for ya’ll to watch each week or so. I am going to post it on the side bar over there ———> if you would like to download it and watch it. Can’t promise you’ll like it, but I can promise it’ll be a good film. If you don’t like it, you have no taste. I am just kidding, well, only half kidding really.  Anyway, this week I’m posting a film called “Boy A”. It’s an English film about this kid who having been institutionalized for most of his life, is finally released from prison at the age of 24. He and another boy murdered a child when they were children. The film follows his attempts to readjust to the world outside of confinement and restart a life which never really got going. It is a very interesting, somewhat depressing, but overall compelling story. It made me think how life really is a one-shot deal, one event, good or bad, can change and redefine you life forever. You’ll need VLC player (I’ll link that as well) to watch it.

In other news, I found a sick local brewery that gives free tours and even more importantly, free beer on Saturdays. What a great Saturday activity; brew education and brew consumption all in one. Speaking of beer, I have rediscovered my love for PBR and I have decided it taste like Harrisonburg. You can interpret that as you wish.

Well, I like to say well a lot in my blog writing. And it’s about time for me to stop writing. But, before I sign off, lets review this past weeks blog poll. This was last weeks poll was disappointing since I usually receive more results and better answers. The question was… “What is the one film I must see before I die?” The answers I received were: “fight club”, “a film of my life”, “other”, “action film” and “I lost the Game”. Of these responses, only one of them was an actual film I think, and I’ve already seen it. I think asking people to type something was too much work, I am going to go back to just clicking on bubbles instead. But I will leave the “other” choice and you can write whatever you want and I will report it/blog on it.

Thats it folks. Don’t for get to vote in this weeks poll and check out the posted film!!! ———————————>

I’ve run out of clever titles already…

Films. I love em. (and when I say films, I mean movies, I’m just trying to be snobby by calling them films)

Right before I went off to college for the first time, I saw a series of films that impacted me in very deep way. These films changed my perspective on many things, introduced me to new ideas, and instilled in me feelings of a magnitude I hadn’t felt before. This time was in fact the summer before my days at JMU kicked off. Well, recently I took a gander at what new films have come out that I would like to see and I have to say I haven’t been this excited about a group films in a very long time. In looking at this group of new films I realized that they were directed or written by the same filmmakers that made the select few films that inspired me before going off to school. Now I don’t if these films were really as inspiring and life altering as I make them out to be, but I know that I was in place in my life where I was getting ready for some big changes and I know that this in a way opened me up to be affected by these films. That change I was preparing for was to go off to college, meet a thousand new people, have a thousand new experiences, and frankly just have the time of my life.  Four and a half years later I am in the same place, getting ready for changes, and the same filmmakers are coming out with a bunch of films I am really pumped about. Sadly, the change is going from college to real life, not as fun, but equally as exciting and unknown. Hopefully I’m not disappointed by these new films, and will be inspired again in new ways, we will see. A few of them are:

• Revolutionary Road – directed by Sam Mendes who also directed American Beauty – my favorite film of all time.
• The Wrestler – directed and produced by Darren Aronofsky who also directed Requiem for a Dream – I think my 2nd favorite film of all time.
• Synecdoche, New York – written by Charlie Kaufman who also wrote Adaptation, Being John Malkovich, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – all way way up there on my list.
• A few others I’m excited about include: Slumdog Millionaire, The Reader, Seven Pounds, Doubt, The International, and Gran Torino – all of these I feel will be well worth my time to watch, which I can’t say of many recent films.

Speaking of films, I’ve got a few and if you want to watch one, let me know and I will send it to you, digitally. That goes for live musical performances as well. Click to check out the film list or musical performance list.

Before I sign off lets look at last post’s survey results:

My scientific data reports equal parts of people who read this blog like dogs and hate animals, I don’t know how to interpret that. It seems that most readers like cats, and 29% are stupid, because I don’t know if you saw the title correctly, but that monkey you chose will eat your face off. For this post blog I’m going to do something diffrent.

For this post’s blog please enter in the space marked “other” what the one film is I must see before I die. Let me remeind you I won’t know who you are, so if you really like Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, no one can hold it against you.  I will report back the data next post.

So DO IT ——————————>——————>————–>———–>———>——>—–>—->—>–>->

numba 2

Welcome. Notice that I did not spell the title correctly in effort to be more urban and less white. Fail.

Well, first lets take a look at last post’s poll:

I’m glad to report that no one “doesn’t care” (surprising), and at least 33% like cookies. That is very reassuring. To whoever said “stupid” I am already starting to agree; but don’t be calling my ideas stupid… your stupid.

Take a look at this weeks poll and vote fools.

Well I’m pretty amazed with myself with having 2 whole posts. I am easy amazed at myself.

Today I was reflecting on a few (two) pointers/life lessons I gave my younger brother, mainly for his science research projects, but I feel that these also apply to life in general.

1. You can never have enough data. This is true of research projects and life. Data can be anything, this blog is data. The simple fact of life is that the more data you have on something the more educated you are on that thing, which in turn helps you make better more conclusive decisions on anything that data can be applied to. This is perhaps one of the reasons I started blogging, it creates data on myself in the introspective sense. This data can only help me make better decisions. Check out Mr. Nicholas Felton’s Annual Report if you want to see the sweetness of illustrated personal data.

2. There is a tool for everything. This one is less philosophical and more practical. I was going to give several examples, but thats too much work – just take my word for it, there is a tool for everything. Now I know right now you probably trying to think of something for which there is no tool. Notice I didn’t say there is a perfect tool for everything, there isn’t. The point I’m trying to make is don’t just blindly make due with what you have, search for the best tool for it; more than likely you will find it.

Thats all I got for life pointers/life lessons, criticize them freely.

In other news, I can now play the first 26 seconds of “Postcards From Far Away” by Coldplay. That is an accomplishment for me considering I never played piano because I suck at it. Maybe I’ll start learning piano, maybe I’ll stick with the 26 seconds I can play and quit while ahead. We’ll see.

That is all for tonight. Check back in 3 days for more.

Peace.

(Hit up the new poll ———————————->)

a grand experiment

Welcome. Notice that I did not capitalize the title in effort to be more trendy and hip.

Here’s the deal: I am taking it upon myself to become as visible on and involved in the Internet as humanly possible .

Why: In recent years I have become more introverted when it come to my online presence. I began to feel that it was all a big waste of time: facebook, aim, blogging, etc… It actually started to disgust me how self-absorbed people were and how everyone had the idea that the world revolves around them to the degree that they need to update there status online before going to the grocery store or going over to so-and-so’s house or going to sleep – just in case their public needed to know. Who on earth could really care if your going to the grocery store or sleeping!? I felt that people I saw spent so much time updating and blogging, and checking other peoples updates and blogs that they were too busy updating and blogging their lives to just enjoy and live them.

Recently I have been inspired to question this hate I have towards online social tools.

Inspirations:

• I realize that to blog or use online social tools you must constantly examining your own thoughts and feelings.  To be introspective and continuously self-observe and report on conscious inner thoughts, desires and sensations is a healthy practice and one that I have not participated in for too long.
• I just graduated from college a.k.a. I am unemployed. An online presence can only help to have people thinking about me and potential jobs; any publicity is good publicity.
• Before I decide to really hate something I feel I must try it. Facebook is really the only social networking tool I’ve tried and fully committed on. If I try them all that gives me the right to hate them all. [I will still never sign up for myspace because I will never join something with such terrible and trashy web design]
• Andrew Jasper: I never thought Jasper could or would inspire me to do anything except maybe get inebriated and hit on girls or break my leg, arm, or other appendage. Jasper started blogging and I have to say I enjoy his blog very much and am inspired by his transparency and candor.
• I have the time right now for experiments like this and I know I won’t soon, plus I like trying new things.

The premise:

The premise for the experiment is simple: use as many social networking and online tools as possible to become as transparent and involved as possible. I will post, update, or participate in some way on each social networking/online tool once every 3 days. I aiming to do this for 1 month, but it may be longer or shorter based on my how my job search progresses. The social networking/online tool I am participating in are:

• WordPress
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Last.fm
• Flickr
• Youtube
• Digg
• Daytum (pending invite)
• Thats enough.

Well, that’s it. We’ll see how this goes. However, I do reserve the right to completely trash this idea and resume living happily without updating all this crap.

Oh, and do that poll that’s right over there ———>

Peace.